Being Jon B's Dad: A Father's Day Story

Posing with my two heroes, Jonathan, and Al.

People I talk to who follow my son Jonathan’s YouTube channel (or Jon B. as you may know him) often say something to me like, “Wow, you must have taken him fishing all the time when he was young.”

That’s true, but there’s more to the story. 

I thought and sometimes worried, about how to be a good dad. I still do. When Jonathan was not quite two years old, I asked my friend Kevin for advice on being a dad. I’ve always admired Kevin as a parent. In my opinion, he’s an all-star dad. 

I think I asked him something like, how do I know what my child will be interested in and how do I encourage that interest? To paraphrase, he said, let him try a lot of things. He’ll let you know what he’s interested in. And once he does, support that. 

So, from a young age, Jonathan’s mom, Susan, and I enrolled him in theatre and basketball camps and art classes. Susan cooked with him. I tossed footballs with him. And yes, we took him fishing. 

And that’s another part of the story. When we thought about all the things we wanted to let Jonathan try, fishing was on the list. Not because I’m a master angler. I’m barely adequate. But my dad, Albert John Barzacchini, loved to fish. He’s the first person to take me fishing. 

Unfortunately, as a child, I lacked patience and focus when it came to fishing. I’d rather run up and down the riverbank, skipping stones or climbing trees. As I got a little older, I had many friends who fished, including Kevin. Still, I was the districted angler. I’m sure I drove them crazy. I loved being outdoors. I loved being by the water, but I just couldn’t stick it out long enough to learn the fine art of fishing. 

My dad, Albert John Barzacchini, the man who took me fishing and taught me patience and so much more.

I can still hear my dad asking, “When are you going to learn patience?” Thankfully, I did. And as I grew up, I was able to enjoy fishing adventures with my dad, catching grouper in the Gulf of Mexico, fishing the Keys, chasing king mackerel off of Miami Beach, and surfcasting and pier fishing in North Topsail Beach, North Carolina. These memories I’ll hold for my lifetime. 

This fishing heritage didn’t just come from Dad. His brothers, my uncles, all fished. In fact, two operated the Idle Hour bait and tackle store in Marion, Ohio, in the 1960s. That’s where they’d dare me to hold my hand up to my elbow in the minnow tank when I was four years old. And that’s where they convinced me that the postcard of the jackalope that hung over the cash register was a photo of a real animal. I believed that for years. My brother is also an avid angler and my mom and sisters fished.

Back to young Jonathan. Even though I had to grow into my appreciation of fishing, I knew how much it mattered to me and how it created a close bond with my father. So, I thought, let’s take Jonathan fishing. 

Maybe he didn’t catch any fish the first time out, but Jonathan was still hooked. And he did get a balloon and got to have his photo taken next to a giant cardboard dog.

The first experience could have been called a failure, a local tournament on a hot June day, with no fish caught. But Jonathan, just four years old, hung in there the entire time. He never complained about the heat or lack of bites. That should have been my first clue.

Because I wanted him to enjoy fishing, I made sure he’d catch at least one fish the next time we went out. I found a trout farm near our home where the rainbow bit on anything shiny. We had a blast. If he liked the derby experience with no fish caught, the trout farm put him over the edge. 

Those early fishing experiences sparked a passion that continues through this day. And while I had trouble as a boy focusing while fishing, it seemed to be the one thing Jonathan would laser in on. Put this kid on a body of water with a rod in his hand and nothing else is going to get his attention. 

Jonathan catching fish BYT (Before YouTube).

From then on, any spare time we had, we fished, until he was old enough to fish with friends or on his own. I can’t take all the credit for putting him on the fishing path. His grandpa Art and grandma Julie lived on two different lakes over the years and many of our family trips revolved around visits to their home. Grandpa Art and Grandpa Jimmie also fished with Jonathan as he grew up. And Susan went so far as to find a place for us to live in close proximity to a number of neighborhood lakes when Jonathan was in middle school. It was on these lakes where he filmed some of his first videos. 

Speaking of filming, along with those early fishing experiences, we always had creative tools around our home when Jonathan was young, including video cameras. He started making mini-movies of his adventures around the house, and soon he combined his love of storytelling with his love of fishing. 

Find what your children are interested in. Spark and support that interest. And watch them go. 

Thank you, Kevin, for your timeless parenting advice. Thank you, Dad, for taking me fishing and teaching me patience. Thank you, Susan, for being on this amazing journey with me. And thank you Jonathan for pursuing your passion, staying true to yourself, and making your mom and me proud beyond words. Keep Fishing. Keep Shining. And Never, Ever, Stop.