San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Quarantine is the lake.
Legendary angler, TV host says ‘quarantine is the lake’ in COVID-19 times
A select few can personify what they do.
Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky are considered mythic giants in basketball and hockey. Simone Biles is synonymous with gymnastics, as was the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. with NASCAR.
In the world of fishing, it’s Bill Dance.
There is not a more recognizable name in the industry. His television show has educated and entertained generations of anglers for more than 50 years.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, one of the world’s most prominent fishermen urges safety as a top priority.
“Listen to what people in the know tell you about this horrible, horrible epidemic that’s going around,” Dance said. “Take care of yourself, stay healthy, be safe and just believe that things will get better. Because they will get better.
“The best message I can give to folks about the importance of the outdoors at this time: It’s the greatest place in the world. … But abide by what you’ve been told to do. Don’t gather in big numbers around boat ramps or on the beaches until they tell you it’s a good time to do it.”
Dance expressed concern over the health crisis that has ravaged areas like New York City and caused economic hardship for many families across the nation. He said the devastation “makes you want to cry.”
The 79-year-old Dance feels blessed his family and friends are healthy during this unprecedented time. He’s glad he can still do what he’s always done best.
Dance said he goes fishing a few days a week close to his home in western Tennessee, with a few added precautions for a COVID-19 world.
He makes sure to keep a can of
Lysol in his truck. Dance usually drives straight to the lake, and if he must stop for gas, he busts out the spray for the pumps. His mail gets sprayed, too, and he washes his hands “forty-eleven” times a day.
One of his favorite morning traditions is a sausage biscuit breakfast, with half a slice of country bacon and a teaspoon of milk gravy. This delicacy is delivered to his truck, so he doesn’t have to get out. Then, the sack is sprayed with Lysol.
“Have you ever eaten a Lysolflavored biscuit?” Dance quipped. “We’ve had a good time during this serious time. But we pay attention to what we’re doing.”
For Dance, “quarantine is the lake.” He has enjoyed watching nature unfold. Bald eagles rearing young, spawning bass, beehives, herons in a rookery and a chicken snake slithering up a cypress tree were some of the simple, yet wondrous sights Dance has experienced recently.
These natural spectacles send him back to when it all began.
Long before a successful tournament career, thousands of TV shows and Hall of Fame accolades, he was a 7-year-old with a 75-cent jitterbug. His father and grandfather gave him what he considers the greatest gift of all: an introduction to fishing.
He still vividly remembers falling in love with fishing then, and he believes many are experiencing that first-time feeling these days. He has heard lots of stories from his buddies about new anglers who are now hooked. Dance believes both veterans and newcomers alike will come to appreciate fishing and the outdoors more because of the pandemic.
Like many Americans, Dance was forced to go for an extended period without a haircut. Things became rather gnarly under his trademark Tennessee hat.
“My hair looks like a can of grout,” he said with his self-deprecating sense of humor. “I got enough hair on the top of my head you could wrap 24 dozen jigs.”
Dance’s work life was slowed by the pandemic and stay-athome orders. Luckily, he said, he’s on pace to make his 39 annual shows. “Bill Dance Outdoors” can be seen on the Outdoors Channel and his saltwater series airs on the Sportsman Channel.
On the home front, Dance has more time to find stuff he has spent years searching for — clean reels and lures, do some writing and work on his social media and YouTube pages. He has also spent more time with his wife, Dianne.
“I didn’t know in 56 years of marriage that you could continue to bond, but I think we’ve bonded some more in the last few months,” Dance said.
Although, he said he recently found himself in the doghouse after breaking one of his wife’s expensive collectibles. That same lovable clumsiness is what made his famous blooper reels so relatable.
Dance believes the extra time to connect is a positive outcome of this pandemic. He encourages folks to help as many in need as they can during this difficult time and to stay safe while the world searches for normalcy.
Despite all that has changed, one thing hasn’t: Dance is still fishing.