2017 Fishing Careers Workshop Offers Advice and Insight into Fishing Industry

The old question among anglers, 'how do I make a career in the fishing industry?'   This question drove fishing legend Al Lindner, his son Troy Lindner and ten other top notch fishing industry leaders to share their passion, successes and advice with a room full of eager participants at Cragun's Resort in Brainerd Minnesota.

Various high schoolers and established industry leaders from 14 states and Providence of Quebec, attended the 2017 Fishing Careers Workshop and then there's little ole' me.

Growing up in the 90's, In-Fisherman was the YouTube of today, anglers read and watched Al Lindner and others teach fishing tactics and how to's.  He wasn't just a TV personality, he was someone I looked up to.  What kid/adult wouldn't want his job?  Making videos about fishing, the dream job!

Springfield Archery Host Scholastic 3-D Archery Tournament

Springfield Archery Host Scholastic 3-D Archery Tournament

I was shocked by how many vehicles were in the parking lot, honestly I was only expecting a few kids and a few parents.  Boy was I wrong, it was jammed packed with room for only one more car. Everyone was there for the same reason, the Scholastic 3-D Archery Tournament or S3DA.  We heard about this event through Facebook and decided to check it out.  I'm glad we stopped by.

Inside Springfield Archery bleachers were full of people there to support the youth of tomorrow. They were shooting arrows down range in a friendly competition.   Don't fool yourself, though. These six to 18 year olds are the Robbin Hoods and Katniss Everdeens of the day.  Their shots are ridiculous.  I'm talking arrow grouping that professional and Olympic athletes strive to shoot.

I was amazed at the archery culture.  A serious, lively and friendly atmosphere had parents rooting their kids on.  "It's growing all over"  said Kim Rigney Illinois Regional Coordinator for the Rigney's School of Archery.

Kyle McDowell reiterated what Kim said about archery shooting growing all over.    I knew there was something bigger here than just some archery competition.  Kyle laid it on me, giving me the 411 on S3DA including a pamphlet with rules and regulations.  I had no idea that it was like this.

Shooting six rounds of five arrows would leave anyone fatigued but these kids do it with dedication.  Mr. McDowell had a son in the competition who ended up taking third.  This subculture is growing at outstanding rates.

After being thrown off guard by the size, commitment, and sportsmanship of S3DA competitors I found myself thinking about Autumn and her possibly wanting to get into archery when she is older.

It is great to see that there are organizations and groups supporting youth and helping them strive to achieve things both in the field and on the range.

A big congratulations to all those that participated and well done for those that placed. Here are your winners from the Springfield Archer S3DA Tournament.

Remember Enjoy the Outdoors, Good Luck and Stay Safe

                       

Family Adventure in February

Family Adventure in February 

Call it global warming, call it whatever you would like.  If you weren't outside this past weekend, let me tell you, you missed out on a record breaking weekend.  Not for fish, number of birds surveyed or whatever but for record temperatures. Like many of you we spent our weekend outside enjoying the beautiful crisp winter air. Even though it felt like spring, it's still winter. We were taking care of yard work, all the things that you would do on a normal spring weekend. However, those chores didn't stop us from enjoying our passion.

Like so many others that were out at Jim Edgar Panther Creek, whether in their boats, hiking or picnicing we enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds showing that spring is just around the corner. No trip out to a state park is complete unless you bring your fishing pole. From 38 to 42 degree water temps fishing was tough but that didn't matter because of just how beautiful the weather was.  Bouncing around from lake to lake and spot to spot, we kept ending up short. Finally, we hooked into one.  It wasn't a biggin' or a world record fish but it was a bass in open water in February in Illinois. 

What was also great about this weekend, was that the family was able to tag along to enjoy what they like about the outdoors. It was great to watch them walk along the shore as I fished and they were also there to cheer me on as I caught the only fish of the day. However, what really made this weekend was not the weather or the fish or the idea of open water fishing in February, it was sharing a memory that will last a lifetime.  They say to start people young in the outdoors so that they grow up loving it.

Autumn has been surrounded by the outdoors for the last 10 months of her short life.  As I landed my fish I called Heather  over so that I could get a picture with Autumn.  My little girl was so fascinated by the fish that I wanted her to hold it, not thinking that she would actually do it.  With little hesitation, she grabbed in awe of the texture of the teeth and slime of the fish. Could this be the start of something bigger? First Female Bassmaster Champion in Training?  Only time will tell. 

Remember Enjoy the Outdoors, Good Luck and Stay Safe

                       

Raising an Outdoor Child in an Indoor World

Raising an Outdoor Child in an Indoor World

On average a child today only spends about 30 minutes outside and about 7 hours indoors in front of a screen. The relationship between society and nature is disappearing. Since the birth of our 6-month old daughter Autumn I have constantly thought about how we want to raise her and the kind of person that we want her to become.

Being a parent is an incredibly hard and overwhelming responsibility. Raising a child to be brave, confident, creative and independent among other things has its challenges. Being able to watch Autumn learn and grow with nature is something that I look forward to, watching her explore various trails, learning how the world works and seeing the amazement in her eyes as she watches a butterfly for the first time, or catches a fish by herself.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Host Youth Hunts and Events

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Host Youth Hunts and Events

Each year, chapters of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever host more than 2,500 youth events throughout the country connecting 147,000+ youth to the outdoors. The Pheasants Forever Youth Mentored Hunt Program stands out among these events as a first-time hunting experience for many youth and their families, originally designed by local chapters of Pheasants Forever.

Duck Blind Drawing - A Family Affair

Duck Blind Drawing - A Family Affair

Ask my dad or brother and they both can tell you about my first duck.  Since the moment I got out of bed on opening day in 1998, I've been in love with waterfowl hunting.  Like so many other waterfowlers I enjoy every aspect of it.  From decoy preparations to the cold wet November mornings.

In order to go waterfowl hunting you have to have somewhere to go. Throughout Illinois there are Waterfowl Blind Drawings, where each blind is allocated a number and a drawing takes place for ownership of that blind for the season. My first waterfowl drawing was in 1999 at Wolf Lake in Cook County.  Hundreds of people were there, walking around sharing stories in hopes of winning a blind for the upcoming season.  At the time I wasn't old enough to participate but my dad and brother put their names in.  Even though we didn't win a blind that year we were still able to get out and enjoy this state park.    Wolf Lake was good to us, we harvested a lot of birds during our tenure hunting there.