The Basst of 2012

It's the new year! So, we are putting the past behind us and moving on with a post of our favorite moments in the river of 2012. Due to an abundance of emails asking to see our favs and yours, we have decided to forgo the usual Riverbum Rant and just go the visual distance. So, without further ado (and zero captions), please enjoy the photos below of our great 2012 Riverbumming fishpeditions...

Time to make new memories 2013! If we can just get over 10 degrees, please :)

Goodbye 2012, thanks for the chance to cast!

Cast Away,

AC & Dad

Second Chance Casts

There is something refreshing about the phrase, "A second chance." A second chance at life, at opportunity, and even love. I mean after all, we are here to make mistakes and learn from them. The meaning of life is to fish, obviously. But if there were a second meaning we would say perseverance. Falling down and getting back up, tough get going when the going gets tough, Never give in, Ride the wave, etc. Like the great Rudy, Lombardi and the 1980 US Olympic hockey team (google them), try and never stop trying. Because after all, that's how second chances are deserved. Putting in the extra time and extra sweat. Determined to work until the sun goes down and then keep working. Fighting through the pain to get what you want, whatever that may be. And willing to sacrifice to see a dream come true.

But, it's not the sweat and blood that makes someone like Rudy better than you or I. He had this massive adoration, a passion for might and gut, a prestige in precision and fulfillment. The integrity of such a man, the humble ambiance of such a will power could only mean he had more of something than anyone else. Heart. Yes friends, that fickle organ that we attune to love and passion which inevitably is just a pumping mass of blood and tissue beating to keep our feeble bodies in motion as long as it possibly can. But, let's for a moment pretend that it is your heart that feels and not your brain. Leave logic out of this altogether. All the heart does,  24/7, is receive blood, give blood, pump in, pump out, on and on and on. Working like a steam engine to push all of its energy into supporting a water based multi-limbed being of Earth that takes more from it than it gives. The heart is the perfect example of perseverance. No wonder we point to our chests when we mouth the words "I love you" or say our hearts are broken when someone doesn't love us back. Because only something so dedicated to our well being and so determined to keep going could be attributed with emotion. The heart works and lives to give feeling and life. It does not stop on its own free will. Only interference can stop a beating heart.

And even then, a heart can persevere. Surviving a heart attack, giving up smoking, working out more, not being a cubs fan. Sometimes a little interference is just what we need. An obstacle to get in our way and push us to endure and overcome. You didn't think that second chances were easy, did you? Sure, you've learned your lesson the second time around and you are a bit wiser and thick skinned. But, don't for a moment think that you actually deserve that second chance without earning it. I mean, where's the fun in that?

Yes, you have to earn it to achieve it! And that is just what the Riverbum master himself did a few weeks back. Thanksgiving, as you may have read up on, was somewhat of a bummer for the old man. His bubbly partner in crime managed to reel one in with just 5 minutes on the clock Turkey day. He endured 12 hours of hidden boasting in quiet giggles and subdued jolly Lady Gogo and Justin Beaver songs from the chipper chic that landed the solo salmon of the day. He worked just as hard, maybe even harder than her. Didn’t he deserve a fish?

Well he did this time around. For on a chilly mid December weekend, the Riverbums ventured into the Milwaukee river in hopes of steelhead. Dad was determined to win over a trophy as he put more casts in than anyone out that day. And boy was it packed? Local bait fisherman trying to get that last good of the salmon fishing in before the snow hit and they had to hibernate until Spring or be forced to stand over a hole in the ice while drinking lite beer and listening to Kenny Chesney serenade them into a country coma. But, they weren't good enough as Dad had one more thing than them all that day, heart. Yes, he pushed and pushed, cast and reeled, waded into the deepest spots until he came out with not one, but two lunker beauties in one day...

Dad's Brown Trout

Showing the girth of the Heart

Dad hooked on his salmon

Netted and bested

The last of the salmon run in the Milwaukee 

Saying goodbye to a worthy day of second chances

Yes, despite officials saying this specific area of the Milwaukee had been cleared out of salmon and browns, perseverance prevailed as Dad reeled both species in on a red and white medium soft belly with a black flathead jig. Goes to show that you shouldn't let rumors, obstacles and even people get in the way of what you want. Because if you work hard enough, sacrifice all you can, and put your heart out there to lead you on, you will earn that second chance. Just ask the Riverbum who can't stop boasting now, well, he does deserve it. Until of course, AC casts in her revenge... but, that's a whole other topic!

Oh and to our  loyal reader and friend Billy from Arkansas, we wish you all the best and success on your second chance. You let us know when you open that place of yours, we will be the first ones in line…

Until next time…we’ll see ya on the other side of the river

Cast Away,

AC & Dad

Thanks Be To Fishing

A fisherman should always be thankful. Because despite what Simms or Orvis will tell you, equipment doesn’t catch a fish, faith does. And after so much faith is put into something, once the result is achieved, thanks are in order. No matter the outcome. 

Yes, faith is one of those touchy subjects that people try to avoid. A cardinal sin (no pun intended) in social conversation etiquette. Stick to the weather or how badly the bears are doing, just play it safe. But, of course, we are the Riverbums. We don’t play it safe.

Don’t walk away just yet, we’re not going to talk about religion or politics. Faith is something that doesn’t just sit in the pews of a chapel or hide out on battle fields. It is much more encompassing than that. And if you’re a fisherman, you know this all too well. Come on admit it. You put your faith into everything the minute you leave the house. Packing the car, driving, unpacking the car, suiting up, wading in, hooking, sinking, casting…

All of that time and you have faith. Because why else would you even get out of bed to go to that river, stand in that water, and cast and wait and cast and wait? Faith, my friends. It is the fruitful parasite that hides in all the hopeless romantics, poets and fishermen of this world. But, with faith, comes thanks. Didn’t your mother ever teach you that you should say 'thank you' when someone gives you something? Well, little did you know that she was instilling a ticking time bomb of perpetual acknowledgement and gratitude that would slowly eat away at your conscience every time you entered the river or caught a fish. 

Because the first time you ever stood in that water after a hard week’s worth of work, felt that current below you, looked up to the sky and said, “Thank you”…you were hooked! You didn’t make that river or fill it with fish. You still have the power to walk, wade, cast and catch. So, you better thank someone.  Or at least something. We do every time we enter that river, no matter how long we have or how we got there. “Thank you for another chance to fish. Thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you.” 

And now we can’t stop. Because we put our faith into something. Whether that be God, our stuff, the river, a good Cuban cigar! For if we forget to say thank you before and after, our faith is diminished. Punified by our weak human notions that we are entitled or even privileged to be in the water. A place where we don’t really belong or are welcomed by the elements. But, say thank you, and it’s like asking the captain to come aboard or kneeling with your hand out to pet a strange dog. You are paying your respects to the river, giving your appreciation, showing how humble your spirit is, so that you are welcome and invited. Then, your faith can work its magic because it is in its purest form.

So, with our faith on the line and our thanks well said, we ventured on this Thanksgiving day to the Sheboygan river in Kohler Wisconsin to fish for steelie. AC was excited to finally get back in the water after 3 business trips and long hours at the office hindered her riverbumming. She was very thankful as she waded into the water and sighed a breath of relief. Turns out her gratitude did her well, because after a few casts, she landed her first ever salmon...

AC's first salmon...

17 lbs Salmon

It was a well deserved fight on her caster adorned by a red bellied white and yellow jelly with a black jig head. Hooked along the eddy of a bend, she set that salmon right before a treacherous boulder. 

Netted in under 5 minutes

Releasing it back slowly. (we hold the tail and guide back and forth to allow water to fill through the gills and better reacquaint the fish to her surroundings)

A beautiful Thanksgiving day in Kohler with temperatures reaching high 50's and mild wind. We spent 7 hours casting away and although only one fish was produced, the day was a huge success of great weather, clear minds, and pure enjoyment on the water.

Dad on the Sheboygan

As we climbed out around 5:30 to head to the nearest brewery, AC caught sight of a slide she just had to try...

Push Me!

So, thank you for taking the time to read this post. We truly appreciate you and your readership. Ok, that was a bit much. But, like we said, faith and thanks go hand in rod. And we have faith you will be back for more Riverbumming.

Until next time...we'll see ya on the other side of the river!

Cast Away,

AC & Dad