There’s something to be said for the kind of enthusiasm that bubbles so exuberantly among youthful anglers.

Lots of water has flowed over the dam since I could legitimately claim to be young, but I still love my fishing days as much as I did in years gone by. I readily admit, however, that 4 a.m. wake-up alarms aren’t as welcome as they were a few decades ago. Nevertheless, once I’ve got a couple cups of coffee in me, I’m ready to launch the boat and get on with the day’s fishing.

The opportunity to fish with buddies helps make fishing trips fun, which in turn contributes to my young-at-heart attitude out on the water. Consider, for example, Tyler Woak of Niles, who joined me Saturday for the King of The River bass tournament on the Ohio River.

At age 25, Tyler packs a ton of tackle and a boatload of exuberance, confidence and even attitude when he goes to the water. His fishing skills are considerable, springing from the experience he gained as a youngster casting for smallmouth bass and other species in the Mahoning River and creeks near home in Niles.

Tyler was bursting with excitement at 5 a.m. as we met up in Canfield for the drive down Ohio 11 to the river.

“It’s going to be on down there today,” he declared as we stowed his gear. “We’re gonna keep the topwater rods in our hands all day!”

He bubbled with enthusiasm as he shared details of his previous weekend on the river while the miles rolled under my wheels on our drive to East Liverpool. His excitement was contagious. I visualized bronzeback bass slashing at my Whopper Plopper, Lucky Craft Sammy and Rebel Pop’R, leaping and diving on the way to the net, to join their cousins in the livewell to be scored at the end of the day.

Tyler fishes to win. Fishing is natural to him, easy almost, compared to others who test their skills against our walleyes, bass and crappies. If the fish are biting, Tyler will catch them, either on open water or on the ice. If the fish are not inclined to cooperate, Tyler will still catch them. He will return to the dock with fish when other anglers catch zip.

I suppose there was a time when exclamation points followed my statements and declarations, but I don’t think they punctuated my utterances very often. Just about every sentence about fishing that my young friend speaks is followed by an exclamation mark. He’s not bragging. He’s just stating facts – with enthusiasm.

And that enthusiasm is motivational – even for an old dog who’s been there, done that for twice the years Tyler has been on earth.

“We gotta do this all day!” Tyler announced as he scooped the net around my first smallmouth just five minutes after we made our first casts. “They’re on!”

Indeed we worked our tails off, and the Ohio River delivered. All but two of our smallmouth bass fell for topwaters. Tyler relied largely on a walking bait, which he worked in zigs and zags near hard structures breaking the current. I opted for a Whopper-Plopper and a Pop’R.

Strikes were vicious. Most of the attacks resulted in hook-ups, but a few did not. Each miss piqued Tyler to declare, “That fish was huge!” Always the exclamation point.

The biggest strike of the day ignited a frantic tussle. The bass erupted under Tyler’s lure and the fight was on. “Get the net! It’s huge! Get the net! Get the net!”

I don’t move around the boat as fast as a 25-year-old guy, but I did indeed get to the net in time to scoop Tyler’s fish. As soon as his line went slack, the single tine of the treble on his lure popped free. Tyler gasped, partially out of fear for how close we came to losing the big bass and partially out of joy that luck was on our side.

I sometimes worry that with so much enthusiasm charging adrenalin into his veins, Tyler might get frazzled out on the lake. But he always manages to channel his energy into finding and catching more fish. … His enthusiasm is contagious! Especially since it produces results.

Jack Wollitz has written this column every week since 1988. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.