Category: From The Water

I’m sure by now you might be wondering what happened. Why no new posts? Where did I disappear to? Although it was longer than I had anticipated, the absence was completely intentional; a little experiment involving social media and my mental well being. Let me take a minute to explain. It was late 2017, early … Continue reading Social Experiment

The thought of growing old depresses me. I’m not afraid of age itself, death doesn’t scare me, what I am afraid of though is my ability to continue doing what I do. More specifically, losing that ability. Until recently I assured myself that it wasn’t going to happen to me. I led myself to believe … Continue reading The Aging Fisherman

Last fall was frustrating. The fishing wasn’t great (for me anyway) and it seemed increasingly harder to find some peace on the water. Combat fishing. Not my idea of fun. I took a couple of day trips, drifting the river in a pontoon, which helped and in retrospect I should have done it more. The … Continue reading Restoring The Faith

I’m not oblivious to the fact that print is a dying medium. I’ve been witness to it since I became a published author, as slowly, magazine’s I once did work for closed their doors for good. It doesn’t bode very well for someone like me with a desire to share the written word and the … Continue reading A Dying Medium

I’m old enough to know better, not smart enough to change. Or maybe just to pigheaded. In any case it starts out the same way, so you would think I would know better by now. When it comes to steelhead, well any fish for that matter, prep work is essential whether the trip is for … Continue reading Whiskey and Water: When The Drink Hurts My Head But The River Calls My Name

I’ve been steelheading for a long time. I’ve witnessed and experienced a lot over those years. At times I become complacent with it all. Completely satisfied with myself and my accomplishments on the water. It sounds a little smug, I know, but don’t take it the wrong way. I know to never take anything for … Continue reading Caught off Guard

When I was a kid my time spent chasing migratory trout was limited, not due to any lack of want, but more a lack of knowledge. Not knowing the when, where and how kept me off the water during crucial times of the year. That doesn’t mean that limited time wasn’t great; some of my … Continue reading The Pursuit of Happiness and Migratory Trout

The moment was not brief, as I stood beside the truck and questioned my mental state. It was also not the first time I’d done so. Who in their right mind would leave the comfort and warmth of their own home to stand riverside in the pre-dawn darkness and sub-zero temperatures? No one. No one … Continue reading A Question of Sanity

As a kid, the night before resulted in a serious lack of sleep. It was my Christmas Eve. The trout opener was just about as exciting as it got. The unofficial end to a long cold winter and the official start of open water fishing. Anticipation wasn’t only for the day to come but the … Continue reading The Opener

Size doesn’t matter. I’m sure it’s a phrase we’ve all heard. I’ve desperately wanted this to be true. For years, I’ve told myself that it is true. I’ve even tried to convince my friends that its true. I don’t know if I ever had them convinced or if they were simply amusing me just to … Continue reading Size Doesn’t Matter