Like father, like son
Kyler Fugate used to be the kid who didn't want to go fishing with his dad, but had no choice.
"I remember him putting me in the boat and dragging me out there," Kyler said Wednesday.
This tale didn't turn out to be one of a boy who grows up bitter toward his dad and never fishes again.
These days, Kyler Fugate is a fishing fanatic - a darn good one, too. And when the Lewiston teen visits father Larry Fugate in Rathdrum, it's easy to guess the first thing they do.
"Now, I drag him out the front door," Kyler said.
The 15-year-old does well on his own, too.
Last Sunday, he won the 14-18 age division, and hooked the biggest fish, of the FLW Junior State Championship bass tournament on Cascade Lake in southern Idaho.
Kyler caught the five-fish limit with 11 pounds, 7 ounces - second place was a distant 9 pounds - while his big fish was a 3.40-pound smalley. He won easily, and qualified for national competition.
The win qualifies him for next year's national bass tournament in either Georgia or Alabama. Kyler will be Idaho's representative for the event and compete against one youth from each of the 50 states.
He said he hooked his five fish in the morning. It was one of those days where the fish almost jumped into the boat.
To win, he said, was amazing.
"I felt like I was walking on the water," Kyler said.
Kyler, who attends Lewiston High School, comes to Coeur d'Alene on weekends and throughout the summer and stays with his dad in Rathdrum.
The two have been fishing in the local Panhandle Bass Club tournaments and other open tournaments in the area as a father/son team since early spring. They've also spent long hours on many of the local lakes in preparation for the tournaments, and do well.
Larry Fugate said he took his son fishing when he was a toddler, and both have been tossing lines in the water since.
"He took it to heart at a young age," Fugate said.
Regardless of conditions or how slow it might be on a particular day, Kyler never gives up. He is, his dad said, very competitive.
"He will stick with the fishing, good or bad," he said.
Larry Fugate wasn't surprised his son won his division at the state tournament. He works hard at fishing and is always looking for ways to improve.
At just 15, Kyler is an excellent angler, dad said, and he is proud of him.
"You can always find him sitting in boat tying tackle," Larry Fugate said. "If he's not in the water, he still tying up tackle and practicing different techniques in the yard."
Kyler, as one might guess, puts in the time to be successful.
He'll study a lake before he fishes it, looking for what could be the best places to settle over. He'll determine if he should try new bait, or stick with what's been tried and proven.
And yep, you'll find him on the lakes, too.
"I'm out there every second I could be out there," he said. "I'm trying to figure out what the lake looks like, and what it's going to take to get the fish."
Winning the state bass tournament opens several doors, he said. It puts him in nationals, and if he does well there, it could lead to scholarships, perhaps a career.
"There are all kinds of opportunities," he said.
He admitted he's restless right before a tournament, and usually can't fall asleep the day before one begins. But once the boat is on the water, there's no doubt about why he's there and whether he could win.
"As soon as you hook into that first fish, it's out there to have a good time," he said.
He credited his father with being a positive influence, introducing him to the sport, and continuing to step in if needed.
"He supports me 100 percent," Kyler said. "Whatever I need, he's right there to help."
Always has been.