Go Fish

Not everyone can recognize a good thing when they have it in their hands. They don’t realize something was special until they’ve lost it. And lost it for good. Like your near perfect girlfriend storming out of the apartment after she has maxed out all your credit cards and “maybe” flirted with your best friend as she slams the door behind her screaming, “I’m the best you’ll ever get”. 

And then all of a sudden, you fall to your knees and start weeping because she was wearing your favorite Aerosmith t-shirt that had a resilient ketchup stain from a hot dog you had after your 4^th concert and all those special memories of that shirt and how it kept you company the nights she was out partying, the days off cruising the strip blending in with the bums, and the those mornings spent watching Saturday morning cartoons (admit it, the thought still excites you) guzzling down a gallon of milk and a carton of fruit loops in front of that silly yellow sponge fella on the tube. “Oh t-shirt, I should have appreciated you more.”

Yep, once something that special is gone, it most likely stays gone. Creating an empty void that follows you around like that depression cloud from those Zoloft Ads. Honestly, someone needs to blow the stalker whistle on that thing, it is creeper to the max. You know the ad. The one that asks... Are you stressed? Always busy? Working hard? Do you get sad sometimes? Can't get enough sleep? Ummm, yes, I'm alive, duh!

That’s why it’s important to cherish what you love most for as long as you can. Take our secret river for example. Tucked away in a far off land of bears, wolves, and eagles. Guarded by the finest of Wisconsin’s wood and brush known to man. Stocked with epic smallmouth bass hiding in between perfectly placed fallen trees and glacier moved boulders drawing the ultimate diversion for an angler from the bulldoze of the world and it's petty drama. A place where we find silence, serenity, and satisfaction in a world unfamiliar to society. A place where we wish we had remembered to bring paper and pen as our minds wander to fresh ideas and thoughts that would not otherwise have been thought of had we not entered such a divine place of fishbeing. Our special, one-of-a-kind river that runs free like our hearts yearn to run. No worries, no bills, no problems.

Except, there is one problem. One day the fish will leave this river, the water will dry out, and the trees and boulders will begin to wither away. Someday, this once rare beauty, will be just a valley where even our wader boot imprints will have disappeared into the hardened soil and all that's left is a cutout of where and angler's dream use to lay. Alright, now I need a Zoloft, I feel a frowny face cloud coming on.

Cheer up folks! We're just thinking of the worst case scenario, that and the possibility of Dad dropping his freshly lit cigar in the water, oh the horror! Which is why it's best to enjoy the special things in life while you can. So, we headed to this so called fantasy river to appreciate all it has to offer and of course, cast till the sun goes down. After all, we can't let a good thing go to waste, especially when that good thing has a tail...

Twisty Bass

Ac caught this beauty at the end of our fishing trip Sunday afternoon around 4:30 pm. She waded over to the far side of the left shore and did a quick bounce cast under this tree. Turns out the fish was calling her name, because it hit her lure the second it dropped...

Lunker of the weekend caught under the fallen wood

AC admiring her catch

Dad reeling one in on the flats

Can you guess what this is?

Snapper

Got something special? Good. Cherish it as mush as you can. Because you never know when you're going to lose it. That t-shirt may just get up and leave, the fish stop biting, and the only thing you will be left with is memories. So make em good and go fish!

We're off to the UP this weekend. Wish us luck as we join the Uppers in the Escanaba and Ford rivers...

Cast Away,

AC