Memories That Matter: Mark Schabes

As a boy, I grew up with a fishing rod in one hand and a baseball in the other.

That’s how my father wanted it to be.

Many of my life lessons came because of my exposure to sports and fishing.

With my first son, I enjoyed some quality time with him on the baseball field before he moved on to what has become his passion, music.

This old man enjoys music (although I can’t tell you the difference between a C cord and an extension cord), so I’m just his fan now; watching him grow and mature into a special young man (now 15), expressing himself through music. 

My little man, Trace, has always had a passion!

When he gets into something, it’s 100% all the time. With fishing, it’s game on with T-man!

It started when he was about 4, fishing in the lake at our home.

His focus and determination were palpable.

If he was awake, he wanted to be fishing.

If he couldn’t actively be fishing, he was watching YouTuber’s who were fishing.

I understood what I was seeing, because as a youngster, fishing was my joy, my escape.

I loved getting into nature and getting lost in that space.

By the time I was 13 my parents bought me a used 10’ jon boat and a 4.5 horsepower Mercury motor.

That was the greatest gift I think I’ve ever received.

Growing up, we lived on a canal that led into upper Tampa Bay.

I’d jump in that boat and go fishing for hours.

I’d come home with a prized catch sometimes, or a story of the one that got away.

With T-man, I’m not only fondly reliving my youth through his experiences, but I’m reveling in the opportunity to share all that I love about fishing and being on the water with him.

Now 7, Trace is a thoughtful steward of our marine environment.

He’s well versed on all the species of fish, mammals, and birds and how they all fit together.

He knows how to read the tides and the weather and what it means in the environment we are fishing.

He’s keenly on the lookout for the 3-B’s (baitfish, birds, and boils), and loves the strategy, scouting and gameplan as much as the success of the trip.

For a seven-year-old, he’s got tremendous patience and perseverance.

Not every trip is all that successful, but he’s totally cool with that.

Just being on the water and doing what he loves lights his torch.

I remember that feeling, and as I got older, I sought that quiet time, where it was just me, the water, and a rod in my hand.

It became therapeutic.

Trace is our third child and the one we weren’t planning for.

We had decided we were done having babies years earlier, and I remember having selfish thoughts at the time we learned of our pregnancy.

“Oh man, starting all over again with a baby, 7 years since the last one.”

I did the math. I’d be 61 when he graduates high school. 65 after college.

Oh boy! Could I do it? Would I have the energy, the patience?

Those thoughts were fleeting, and the fear faded quickly once we got over the shock of the news, but I feel so shameful for even having those thoughts back then.

God delivered to us a gift that has blessed and enriched our entire family’s lives in unimaginable ways.

Trace, like all of us, is a gift from God. And my time with him as a father and son on the water, makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

One day, he’ll move on and start his own life and maybe his own family too, but hopefully, he’ll keep this passion for fishing as an important part of his life.

And… Maybe one day, he’ll get to experience this same love with his own children.

These experiences, and these memories, will be with us forever.

– Mark S.

Mark and his son:

Mark’s son and his awesome catches: