A bit of advice: Take advantage of any day you can share on the lake with a bobblehead character or friend associated with the greatest.

They’ll get a chuckle out of this, but it’s true. Over the past week, I was joined by fishing friends John Hirschbeck of Beaver Township and Ted Suffolk of Canfield. They’ve been in the Bass Cat several times over the years, and each time is another checkmark on my long list of fun fishing excursions.

Ted and John enjoy bass fishing, so we click immediately every time we rig up and head out. Each outing, of course, peels back another layer of understanding about why we are passionate about fishing.

But each trip also provides a peek at what makes us tick beyond casting and cranking. Hirschbeck retired after three decades of umpiring Major League Baseball games, while Suffolk also is retired, as general manager of the Vindicator, and today helps former Vindy editor Todd Franko operate the area’s major amateur golf championship, The Greatest Golfer.

Suffolk and Hirschbeck have a long history of out-of-the-ordinary experiences that bubble up during our days on the water. Whether the fishing is hot or lukewarm, memories bubble up and stories fly.

As I’ve often said, there’s much more to fishing than catching, so I love getting on the water with buddies. You learn a lot about people, life and how to have fun without really trying.

Interesting stuff, like umpires get banged around a lot more than fans might realize. Hirschbeck suffered concussions. Foul balls traveling 100 mph knocked him for a loop; eight times he missed games with concussions. He said MLB shipped a new face mask to the next stadium where he was umpiring after getting a faceful of baseball.

During his “ump” years, he also had opportunities to squeeze in fishing, golfing and shooting while on the road. American League baseball always prevailed, of course, so the extracurricular activities had to be wrapped up around noon to get back to the hotel and rest before the big game. Fans and players demanded sharp eyes and rested legs.

At one point during our recent fishing trip, Hirschbeck encountered a string of bad breaks. Three fish bit and escaped before he could reel them in. I’d noticed his hooksets were a little timid.

“You’ve gotta hit them with a high, hard jab, like the way you did when you were ejecting Earl Weaver (the oft-tossed manager of the Baltimore Orioles),” I said. He laughed and it sank in, as the next fish failed to shake his hook.

He also laughed about the night he was the guest of honor at John Hirschbeck Bobblehead Night at a Mahoning Valley Scrappers game. I told him I’d never hosted a bobblehead hero, which he modestly acknowledged was a nice honor.

Suffolk, meanwhile, has been associated with The Greatest Golfer since he co-founded it 15 years ago. While it may appear to be a simple endeavor – signing up golfers for a three-day golf tournament – the tasks of organizing more than a dozen flights of men and women ranging from scratch golfers to high high-handicappers requires patience, skill, compassion and a thick skin.

His exhausting work includes coordinating with the golf staff at The Lake Club, Mill Creek, Salem Golf Club, Salem Hills, Squaw Creek, Trumbull and Tippecanoe Country Clubs, recording and posting scores and a myriad of other responsibilities from sun-up to sunset and beyond. The Greatest Golfer concluded last Sunday, and Ted eagerly accepted the invitation to fish Thursday morning.

Equally at home playing golf, helping with The Greatest Golfer and figuring out the daily deal with largemouth bass, Ted segued readily from playing to coordinating to casting. He’s good at all three, and boated a couple of 4-pound largemouths to cap his day.

Trips like these are the best. They are reminders that it’s great to go fishing, but the greatest is fishing with friends who love it as much as I do.

Jack Wollitz has authored this column since 1988 and more recently a book, The Common Angler, which explores the passion anglers share for fishing. Contact Jack at jackbbaass@gmail.com.