Grover Cleveland

Now some of you are immediately thinking….Grover Cleveland….what? This is an outdoor column and he’s gone all political on us; relax-no politics on my shift! Others of you may be thinking…who the heck is Grover Cleveland or worse yet, what is a Grover Cleveland? Is that some type of new-fangled fly rod, another new way of floating down moving water…all kidding aside, the numbers 22 and 24 should be important to this conversation as Grover Cleveland was our 22^nd and 24^th president. How, well he first became president in 1885 and then 4 years later in 1888 was defeated by a Hoosier, Benjamin Harrison. Cleveland then returned to the presidency in the next term by showing great levels of perseverance- defeating Harrison… who had just lost his wife two weeks prior to the 1892 election.

I might say that they don’t make guys like Cleveland anymore; he was known as one of…if not the most honest presidents of all time-sorry Abe! Not only was he the only president to be married in the Whitehouse but he was an avid hunter and fisher while also being a writer for The Saturday Evening Post. All I know is that Cleveland has moved up the rung on my list of presidents…after reading an article that he wrote for the Post in 1901, it was entitled “Defense of Fisherman”.

It was noted that he wrote the article to protect the honor of the American angler as critics of fishing had made claims that unjustly accused fisherman of “certain shortcomings and faults”; among those…laziness, profanity and dishonesty! What! I’m hurt, even a bit crushed…what were they thinking? Me, lazy, dishonest or someone who uses profanity…have they been following me around, OK I digress!

To quote from Cleveland, “Laziness has no place in the constitution of a man who starts at sunrise and tramps all day with only a sandwich to eat, floundering through bushes and briers, stumbling over rocks or wading streams in pursuit of the elusive trout”. Now I may have to insert smallmouth bass in place of a trout…but just this summer alone I have been out on several occasions where fishing was the only event of the day, no lunch, no nap…just water, rocks, flies and as many smallies as I could catch and release.

What about all that cursing and rough language…well, 24 replies by acknowledging the sudden outbursts, outwardly resembling profanity, which on occasion can be heard when a rather large species, be it trout or a smallmouth, upon a vicious leap…frees himself from the hook! Well…as the Prez says, “the fisherman’s code of morals will not condemn the holder of the straightened rod if he impulsively, but with all the gentility at his command, exclaims: “Damn that fish!” Wow-was he watching a couple weeks back when upon Sugar Creek, in pursuit of a 20 incher, I landed….make that almost landed a true giant, for just as I was preparing to lip the beast… he made a rip toward and into the current; the fish left me holding nothing but a fly rod and a very sour look on my face! To expound…when Frank Terkhorn pulled up a few minutes later, I simply told him that I needed a hug…my heart had been broken, but the canyon was free of any impolite noise pollution. I had taken my medicine like a man!

Lastly, as President Cleveland puts it is…well, the truth about lying or as we like to say, FISH STORIES. You know…the one that got away? Cleveland says, “It is perfectly plain that large fish are more apt to escape than small ones. Their weight and activity, combined with the increased trickiness and resourcefulness of age and experience, greatly increase their ability to tear out the hook, or expose a fatal weakness in hook, leader, line or rod”.  Once again…I’d say the grand fellow has hit the nail on the head. This year alone I have lost a slew of bigger fish; do I get upset, for a while. With the big smallie mentioned above-it did take a few minutes, but I eventually tied on another minnow pattern and set sail looking for another trophy. The invention of technology has reduced the number of wry smiles I get…when one of my boys looks and says, “Really dad”? I just whip out my camera and give them the evidence…it has reduced the amount of ‘fish stretching’ but has also made me much more accountable.

I must end with President Cleveland’s conclusion, “Fishing is good for the soul and good for the country”! Bravo, way to go ole chap! I couldn’t agree more; while we fisherman might occasionally be accused of laziness, profanity and dishonesty…I think the whole country would be much better off if we all took a day here and there…and simply went fishing! So, grab your gear, make your way to your favorite spot and do something that would make the old president happy…fish! I’m betting that Grover was a man who knew how to Enjoy the Great Outdoors.