Enter The Stream, The Lakes, Ponds And The Salty Sea: Adventure Awaits

Adventures With Water

Since my earliest memories, the watery world has mesmerized and called out to me.  Ponds, rivers, streams, oceans, puddles, rain drops, snow and ice have always felt like essential parts of who I am.  Water is life, a source of peace and tranquility as well as mystery, adventure, danger and even tragedy.  The fact is, we simply can not live without it. We are born out of the watery realm and are alive thanks to this often taken for granted element. Before I turn into a babbling brook, allow me to get back to the purpose of this post and that is ADVENTURE!

Do you get excited when you see you pictures of big lakes, rivers and oceans? What mental images come to mind when looking out at these watery scenes? Thoughts of big sharks and big fish? Do you daydream about reeling in a particular species? Do you imagine yourself wading through the water with a fishing rod or gliding atop the surface on your paddleboard, canoe, kayak, or dream boat? I sure do! The watery world is so full of opportunities to find adventure, it can be hard to know where to start. This seems to be particularly true as we get older, however all ages can suffer from a bit of analysis paralysis. Overthinking options until the season has already passed you by. That has happened to me for the last several years, but not anymore!

I admittedly created this business with a bit of selfish intention. Yes, I want to get you and your family outdoors fishing and recreating, but I need to get myself out there first!  I would be a mighty big hypocrite to extoll the virtues of an active life in nature if all I did was sit behind my desk writing about all the cool things to do, but never doing them myself. If you read my bio, you know that for much of my adult life I lived and worked outdoors.  For example, the picture above was taken many years ago in Sitka Alaska, while working for the National Park Service. I had beginners luck that day and was blessed to reel in that Alaskan King Salmon that would become many tasty dinners.

Oh, fond memories! Recreation was what I did, then life changed. I changed jobs, got married and moved to the suburbs. I do not say any of this with regret or sadness, in fact I consider myself truly blessed. All that said, I am aware that essential parts of who I am were not nourished. I love the outdoors, teaching, learning, and sharing experiences with others and that is why I am here.  However, I am not an expert at all things outdoors. Ironically, this is particularly true when it comes to fishing. Then why devote so much energy and resources researching and writing about it? Good question! My primary reasons for doing this, are as follows:

• Fishing is fun! Or can be fun if you have the right mindset, teachers and mentors. I have spent way to much money on fishing gear I either have never used, or do not know how to use.  I have walked into many outdoor retail stores, only to get overwhelmed with the options and either walk out discouraged, or end up wasting money on products I had no business buying. Hopefully the resources you will find on this site will get you out there fishing without wasting precious time and money.
• Fishing is an amazing way to learn about the natural world. That stream you likely drive by everyday is teeming with life, both inside and along its banks. If you were to explore the muddy shores you would likely find the tracks of deer, opossum, raccoons, herons, mice and much more. If you were to take a net and dip it into the stream, you may be surprised at what you bring out. If the stream is healthy, you will likely find a slew of macro and micro invertebrates and other critters as well as plant matter. Those little organisms feed on the plants. The fish feed on them and the osprey and other predators in tern eat the fish and the cycle continues. You will come to learn about food chains and the web of life through first hand experience. If you really want to get good at fishing, you need to study the behavior of fish and what they eat. All this learning will help foster in you a deeper appreciation of your stream and change how you see and care for it. Fishing is a powerful vehicle for promoting conservation and preservation of our natural resources.
• Fishing is a valuable skill to learn as it gives individuals the ability to provide food for themselves and their families. Give a man a fish, feed him for a day… Teach a man to fish and you know the rest. I could write many pages about the importance of omega 3’s and proteins etc…, but will keep that for another time.

Ok, so what kind of fishing will you learn about with me? Eventually I would like to learn and teach every method of fishing, from Spincasting to Batefishing, but that is a lofty goal. For the near and foreseeable future, we will focus on a very old method of fishing that comes from Japan, and it is my personal favorite.