Merry Christmas 2015

Can you believe it, once again here we are in the Christmas Season. That means the end of 2015 is near. What a year it has been. This always seems like the correct time to think back and reflect on the year we have just had and all the blessings.

First on my list continues to be health; so much of what I am able to do in the outdoors depends upon being healthy, being able to move around and for that I am eternally thankful. I am continually amazed at the people I see and at times…the students I work with, who have mobility issues; their resiliency in getting from place to place and making things work is nothing short of inspirational. This last month while in Nebraska I probably walked…well, who knows how many miles each day in pursuit of pheasants. This ability to walk, move and continue on, the perseverance of it all is certainly an asset as there are lulls in the day whereby a person just has to walk, walk and walk some more. Eventually, if you can keep moving…you will find a band of birds and the day will get very exciting.
Next on my list is my family. I am so blessed to still have both mom and dad; I preach to my own kids to be thankful for the many sacrifices that their parents make. I know I have been and continue to be blessed. In fact it was my dad, Ivan, who gave me the love of hunting and fishing. He probably didn’t know way back when, while we were rabbit hunting or fishing from our small boat…that it would stick and be such a major factor in my life. The truth is that I can’t imagine my life without nature, without being able to fish and hunt or for that matter…just to be able to walk through the woods on a beautiful spring day or take a hike in freshly fallen snow!

My own family; Vickie, Harrison and Jonas continue to be blessings to me. I love the time spent on the golf course, in a float tube, walking a stream, coursing a patch of grass for birds or just sitting beside a fire while listening to the many sounds that Mother Nature has to offer up. Like most progressions I have had to ‘give-in’ on time with my boys as one, Harrison, is way out west in Arizona and in the middle of his own teaching career. We talk almost daily and often it is about the fishing, hunting or hiking that he does out west. It is good to know that he liked his time with me, in nature, enough to pursue the same things as an adult. My second one, Jonas, is off to college and while Franklin isn’t far away…I know how busy college life can be. His time in the outdoors consists of hours and hours of work on his golf game…something we have been able to share this past year. Lastly, but certainly not least, Vickie and I are able to get out and do so much together. I am thankful that she is willing to participate in my love of the outdoors. Just this past year we were able to spend three weeks UP North in the UP of Michigan and we loved it. In fact in 2016 we will be heading out on one of my big ‘lifetime-goals’…to circumvent Lake Superior. We both are looking forward to seeing and experiencing the Canadian side of the lake.
Probably to be thankful for fly fishing may sound odd to many…but I wouldn’t be the same person without this love/passion for fly fishing as a whole. There is no other point during my year that I feel more at one with nature than while casting for…well, just about anything. If you read my column, then you know that fly fishing for smallmouth bass is at the top of the list. I love to figure out the puzzle, to un-lock where they are and what they are eating. I go back to mid-July while floating down the Namekagon River that flows east to west through Hayward, Wisconsin. I can close my eyes and still feel the cool water rushing around my legs. I can see the black color, knowing that at any point I could hook into a big smallie, pike or maybe even a 50 inch musky. For a fly-guy…it was the pinnacle of my year. If you followed along with me then you know that I was able to hook, land and film a large smallmouth bass. I did so by casting my 6-weight in and under an overhanging limb; the instant the fly drifted in front of the downed log I felt the weight of the fish. The next few minutes are exactly why I put in so many hours tying flies, tending to rods, patching float tubes and trudging through miles of water. If you’d like to watch me landing what I consider my best fish of 2015… watch this video of my trip down the Namekagon River in Wisconsin.

My wish for you this Holiday Season is two-fold; be thankful for what you have and make plans to get out and get going…make plans to enjoy all that nature has to give. I am sure that you will be blessed and learn to better Enjoy the Great Outdoors.