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A day on the lake with a kid
If you're wondering how to improve your day on the lake, take a kid fishing
 Youth angler Alvaro Munoz appears onstage with Vince Hurtado at the Bluegrass Brawl to accept a Life Membership to BASS courtesy of BassCat Boats. As an angler, sometimes there is a tendency to focus on yourself: How can I catch more fish than my buddy? Where can I find the latest lure? Or how can I catch a 10-pounder? And while fishing is a journey of continual self-improvement, never underestimate the value in occasionally taking the focus off yourself. A day spent fishing with a young person just may change his or her entire outlook (or your own). Just ask Elite Series pro Vince Hurtado. Hurtado admits that it was fishing that kept him out of trouble as a kid. So when longtime friend and August Knodt Fishing Club founder Jarod Ballardo asked him to speak to his junior high school fishing club, Hurtado gladly accepted. Little did this BASS pro know what a difference he would make in the life of one club member in particular — Alvaro Munoz. Thirteen-year-old Munoz was an eager fisherman, but had a poor attitude toward his school and family. Through his participation in the school fishing club and after spending some quality time fishing with Hurtado, Munoz began to apply the lessons learned from fishing to his own life, improving his grades (from 4 Fs and two Ds) to a level high enough to make the honor roll twice. His attitude and his work ethic also improved. Hurtado believes that life requires the same focus and passion as angling. And that is the lesson Hurtado wanted to pass on to Munoz. When Bassmaster Magazine heard Munoz's story, the staff was moved. To honor and reward Munoz for his outstanding turnaround, Bassmaster Magazine flew young Munoz and his club sponsor Ballardo to the Elite Series Bluegrass Brawl event at Kentucky Lake in June. The experience was like a dream come true — for Munoz, Ballardo and Hurtado. BassCat Boats (one of Hurtado's sponsors) was also impressed by Alvaro's story; and the company presented the young man with a Life Membership to B.A.S.S. at the tournament. Between meeting BASS pros, collecting autographs and a debut appearance onstage at Kentucky Lake, Munoz confided to Hurtado that somewhere down the line, he would do for another kid what Hurtado and Ballardo have done for him. So, if you're wondering how you can improve your day on the lake, take a kid fishing. To read more about Vince Hurtado's experience with the August Knodt Fishing Club, pick up the July/August issue of Bassmaster (page 16).
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