Spring Cleaning (Fishing for Rainbow Pike)

Good morning brothers.

It’s still rather chilly here in the Land of Lincoln. Been very cold for quite a while actually. So much so that our heater couldn’t keep up last week. We had to have our furnace serviced when the weather was about -8°. It was very odd. I could hear it running, the blower would start, it would run for maybe 5 minutes then the air coming out of the vents would cool, and stop. Shortly thereafter the cycle would repeat, but the interior temp continued to drop. This is not cool with a 6-month old and 4 other kiddos, not to mention a wife that “runs cold” to begin with…

The culprit?

A thick furnace filter.

Yes. I’m serious.

The filter I had purchased was restricting air flow so much, that the furnace couldn’t run for a long time without overheating and shutting down as a safety precaution. Thank God I didn’t burn the thing up! After an expensive explanation from our local HVAC tech (who was polite enough to not laugh in my face) he asked if I wanted to have the unit serviced. Sure! Well, this got me thinking… the seasons are about to change. I need to go through and service the ‘ol fishing gear, and get ready. In the not-too-distant future we’ll be able to get out and do a bit of casting. A bit of scoutin’. A bit of catchin’.

Hopefully.

This made me think about something else…

Let’s Catch Some Rainbow Pike!

As I worked through the Oil & Grease Process on my spinning reels and baitcasters, I started to think about some other areas that could benefit from spring cleaning. The video archive came to mind. See, I started taping my fishing trips about 7 or 8 years ago. I never wanted to “be a YouTuber,” but I did want to have footage that I could go back and review the day after a trip. Why?

Because I sucked at fishing when I picked it up again as an adult.

The process of taping, stepping away, then coming back to review my videos and written notes has been unbelievably important in my development as an angler. It has helped me put all of my kids on bigger fish than those I landed at their age. It has helped me set my wife up for success. So the people I love most in this world benefit… and so do I. That’s a win-win!

The only problem is that this archive is now about 20 terabytes and I have 4 big storage drives filled to the brim with fishing outings I had hoped to review, edit down and post – but there just isn’t enough time. Not to mention, the way I fished 6 years ago is completely different than the way I fish now.

Instead of going back through and editing all that footage, I plan to clean this up by cherry-picking different events that happened. Saving the best bits. Looking for the things I learned from, and the best family moments.

The following is a video that focuses on my son Finn when he was about 3 years old. He’s bigger now, and a few months back I posted this video from the summer where he landed a fat smallmouth bass. The difference is amazing. I can’t tell you how precious these older videos are, and to hear his little voice light up back then – and still to this day – it’s just a beautiful thing to behold.

If you are a father, get that camera out, and let it run.

One day you’re going to find yourself where I was, just doing some spring cleaning, and you’ll come across events that seemed normal at the time. Boring. Routine. But they’re special.

It’ll kick you right in the feels.

And that’s GOOD.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

Subscribe

Join us as we continue to work on becoming better anglers – and better men.

Email

Subscribe

Thank You For Your Support

Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!

Click to Donate