This is dedicated to my father Chuck Russo in appreciation for everything he has taught me in the sport of Bass fishing. My dad used to take us fishing when we went on our  family vacations to lake Shasta.

  I remember watching him and always wishing I could cast like him and how cool it was when he would catch a fish and reel it in. I remember getting to a spot and how fast he would kill the motor, jump up,  kick down the trolling motor and tell us to be quiet while he flipped his lure perfectly in the water with out a splash. I watched him fish more than he knew and admired him more then he could ever know, from fishing to the way he drove the boat and to this day I find myself doing things for the first time and doing them better than I expected because I would think back to what I remembered my dad doing and doing it the same.

I am grateful for my father helping me, teaching me and giving me the confidence to fish. I have fished since I was a kid but as I got older I started getting into it more and more, to where there was a time I would fish every day even night for a year straight till my arm was ready to fall off. I stopped fishing when I was a few months pregnant with my son who is now 4. After he was born I started fishing again whenever I had a chance.

Two years ago my dad realized how much I liked to fish and started taking me with him when he would go out for fun, then later he asked me if I wanted to fish the hook series with him in the team tournaments. I can't tell you how excited I was.

The first tournament we fished was so much fun and watching my dad was exactly like watching him when I was a kid. He hasn't changed. He still pulled up to a spot, killed the motor, jumped up kicked down the trolling motor and did it all at 100mph. We fished our butts off and let me tell you it's not easy to catch fish in the winter, but we did and every time we would catch one we would be so happy. We looked like a couple of kids who just won free tickets to an Aerosmith concert or something. It was seriously the coolest thing a daughter could have done with her dad.

He has a love for the sport that has been passed on to me and for that I am grateful. My dad has taken my son with him fishing and let my son help reel in a fish he caught. I was at work when I heard my son yell "mommy I caught a fish" and see him and my dad pull up to the dock to show me a nice Black bass. I remember thinking how cool it is my son has a grandfather who loves him so much and takes him out fishing. I hope my son will learn from me like I learned from my dad the love of this sport. Thank you for everything.    

  Love,
Your daughter,
Amber Russo