Today, I am 30 years old.... sobering.
It seems like yesterday I was a 20 year old kid running up and down river banks looking for risers, scraping my knees on rocks and smoking cigarettes. Now I rarely do either, choosing to fish more from boats and laying off the tobacky. I've seen a lot of stuff since then. At 20, I had yet to fish a lot of amazing places. Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming and the Keys were all places that were far off fantasy lands. Now I have experienced them all. I have even managed to catch a few fish along the way.
So what now? Is this the part of my life where I settle down? Is this the beginning of the end?
I like to think the opposite. My 30's are going to be the best years of my life. I am going to fish more exotic places like Kamchatka and Argentina. Hopefully I will be able to afford nicer things, so I plan on getting more into bamboo, nicer spey gear and classic glass rods. I am going to spend more time looking for mushrooms and identifying birds instead of watching a bobber bounce. Instead of resorting to nymphs, I will fish dries or streamers even more than I do now. I will fish less crowded places than are harder to get to. Not because I want to catch more or bigger fish, but simply because if I don't do it now, who knows when I will. My thirties will be my best years of my life filled with awesomeness, excitement and adventure.
and ND will win a championship again... mark it!
Carpe Diem, my friends.
So in your post you discuss the St. Joe River running through South Bend but you're located in Denver, right? I'm in Fort Wayne so I know the river well.
I'm an avid bass fisherman but I know a thing or two about fly fishing (my grandfather loved it) and I've heard that the St. Joe is one of the best bodies for steelhead in Indiana (and it's literally a 2 minute walk from my house). I'd like to start fly fishing, and since my grandfather isn't around any longer to use his gear I think he would want me to have it
I don't know if you've ever fished Lake of the Woods south of Lakeville, but that is one of my favorite spots for bass fishing. My father-in-law is in South Bend so we go out there whenever we get a chance. Guys are always amazed when we land the boat with half a dozen bass over 18", but if you know where to find them and how to catch them they always seem willing to bite.
EDIT: also, happy birthday!
Nice Rainbows! I miss fly fishing in the cold for Rainbows, Browns, and Brookies, But I've traded that life for shorts, flip flops, Specks and Redfish the size of my arm.
Ok you better hurry. The Redfish will be moving into the surf soon. Then I hang up the fly rod, and pull out the "winter" surf fishing gear. Camping on the beach, grilling some fresh reds. Life is tough living on the beach.
