As the beginning notes of Round Here made contact with my auricles, I was in heaven; I had forgotten how incredible my Bose earphones were.  I could hear every instrument in the song – the chords on the guitar; the intricate timing of the cymbals and snare; the keyboard quietly playing in the background.  It was as if I was experiencing the song for the first time, though I had heard it many times before; it was as though I was finally experiencing the song the way the artists and producers intended it to be heard.

And that is what I believe immersing ourselves in nature does for life.

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Anyone seen this nifty little feature?

Ram has came out with a new line of pickup trucks called the Outdoorsman, and they are specifically targeting the hunters and shooters amongst us with their new Mopar Rambox Holster:  it can hold two shotguns or rifles in a lockable, watertight compartment on either side of the truck bed.

Pretty cool, if you ask me.  Oh, and fishing rods will fit in there, too!

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What is the best therapy for a fishing addiction? Of course, its catching some fish. A few weeks ago I had the privilege of going on my first island fishing trip. What an adventure it was. It was a memorable trip. If you missed the post, you can find it here.

Anyways, this past weekend I had a deja vu of the first trip. Once again I was joined by Paul McCarty. He had a trip he will never forget. More on that in a second. We were also joined by some newcomers to the sport of fishing, Jeremy and Elliot Sugai. Details of the trip were exactly the same because we went to the exact same location. So, same 3 miles in and same 3 miles out. Once again, the weather was gorgeous.

Now for the good part. We happened to arrive to “the spot” just in time for high tide. What does that mean? Well, that means fishing is at its best! It makes fishing along the small cliffs a little spooky because of the high surf, but it was worth it. Paul managed to have a huge strike shortly after our arrival. Unfortunately the fish ended up coming off the hook. We never even got a glimpse of the creature, but we did get to witness its power. The fish was running and tearing line off his reel so fast that he immediately tried to tighten the drag. The fish was not phased and it ended up winning round one.

On to round two. This time Paul did manage to win, but with a slight consequence. He ended up snapping his Ugly Stick in two. Fortunately, I managed to climb down to the lower rocks and grab the line just as the pole snapped. We somehow got the fish onto the higher rocks and then the celebrating began! Let me tell you, teamwork is key to getting these powerful fish onto shore. Hooking and reeling them in is only half the battle. This Bluefin Trevally or Omilu, which is the Hawaiian word for the fish, weighed in at right around 13 lbs. Paul’s biggest to date!

Not to be outdone, Elliot had quite the trip on this day as well. For a young man relatively new to the sport he managed to have several hookups with some Omilu. He landed a 2.5 lb fish and managed to fight another decent size one for what seemed like an eternity. Props go to him for being extremely patient while fighting the larger fish. Most people that have a first time encounter with a fish that size over compensate and end up snapping the line. He did not technically “land” the larger fish. Unfortunately the fish literally jumped right out of Paul’s grasp and back into the ocean. What a persistent fish. He did not want any part of being involved in our fish fry later that evening. This picture to the left was actually supposed to be a video, but the cameraman ended up accidentally taking some panoramic snapshots instead. It actually still gives you an idea of the teamwork needed to get these fish on shore in those conditions. The fish in the pic is the 2.5 lber that Elliot landed.

We did manage to still get some time in at the slide baiting spot. No big strikes too place, but everyone did land some sort of fish. I landed a few small fish and Jeremy was the king of catching baitfish. We slid several of his baitfish down the line, but to no avail.

The trip ended with a quick swim in our favorite little spot, the spring fed water. It was still amazing how cold the water in the small spring is. That place will never get old.

I’ll end this post with one more shot of the 13 lb Omilu. These fish are amazingly powerful and also extremely beautiful. The bright blue along their spine stands out in the ocean. The best part though, is that they taste wonderful. There is no better way to end a long day fishing than to reap the rewards and enjoy feasting on your catch!

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Unfortunately, Michigan has its very own oil spill.  Apparently, a pipeline that carries oil from Indiana to Ontario malfunctioned and pumped 840,000 gallons of oil into Talmadge Creek, which runs directly into the Kalamazoo river – a prominent river in the southern portion of the state – and local residents now not only get to witness the after effects of such an environmental disaster, but also get to smell the pungent odor on a daily basis.

The leak originated south of Marshall, Michigan, but has started to make its way towards the Kalamazoo area.  Officials have assured the public that they will be able to contain the spill within Morrow Lake, a dam pond east of Kalamazoo, but we all know how that can go.  I’m hoping for the best, but trying to prepare for the worst, because if the spill cannot be contained in such a location, there is the possibility it could reach Lake Michigan; that gives me chills just thinking about it.

Obama has already pledged a swift response to the spill, and local legislators are speaking out against Enbridge, the company responsible for the pipeline.  I’m holding my breath, though, and hoping that this spill is contained and cleaned up in a timely manner.  If history is any indication, though, I have fears that this will take much longer than anticipated to get under control, and who knows what longing affects it will have on the local wildlife population.

Right now, heavy rain is inhibiting the clean up duties, as well as a lack of trained personnel to help with wildlife clean up and rehabilitation.  I’ve already read and heard stories of people who were willing to help, but who have been turned away because they don’t have the proper training.

The river in question is only about 25 miles south of my hometown, and though I haven’t seen the devastation first hand, we will be in the area for a wedding this weekend.  There is a part of me that really doesn’t want to see, and to say I feel pretty damn helpless is an understatement.

Let’s all hope that everyone works together, and gets this thing cleaned up as soon as possible with as little environmental impact as possible.

It’s all just very depressing.  It literally makes me sick to my stomach.

Update: After working through my helpless feeling, and after thinking to myself “How can I help?”, considering there is no way I’m trying to pick up a ornery goose covered in oil, I did manage to find a few ways that us simple and untrained people can help:

If you want to volunteer your time to help animals in need or oil cleanup, try one of the following options:

— Call the official assistance number, 1-800-306-6837.

— Call Pam Decuypere with the Circle D Wildlife Refuge, 269-778-9181 or 269-365-5349.

— Visit the Circle D location at 13500 East U Ave. in Vicksburg. Bring donations of money, buckets, vegetable oil, dish soap and rags.

— Call Matt Davis at 967-3321 or e-mail him at biggfoot18@aol.com.

— Join the Facebook Group Kalamazoo River Oil Spill.

— Drop off items such as non-fitted sheets and soft towels, cardboard boxes, small white boards, duck tape and firewood at Crossroads Church and Ministries, 717 N. Old 27, Marshall.

We are going to do our part and drop off some much needed supplies at the church listed, which is close to my wife’s work.  If they need duct tape and cardboard boxes, I am more than willing to oblige.

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With the new day breaking, I walked the bank of the Pere Marquette, looking for my first honey hole of the morning.  It was beautiful – the sun’s rays bouncing off the banks, bringing new life to the early spring forage – but, as I walked along, something on the trail ahead caught my eye.

WTF?

A beer can.  And another beer can.  I hate trash!

It amazes me as to how little respect some people have for their natural resources.   Apparently, since they don’t take their mom with them everywhere they go, they don’t know enough to pick up after themselves.  And with their lack of respect for such a pristine stretch of river, I can only imagine what their home or vehicle looks like.  It has gotten to the point that I have started to carry a plastic bag in my backpack, just for such an occasion.  But, honestly, some of the things I’ve seen wouldn’t even fit in my backpack; there was that much trash.

It sickens me.

I truly do not understand not picking up after yourself, whether it be on a pristine waterway such as the Pere Marquette, your favorite local fishing lake, or your favorite hunting spot.  Just pick up after yourself!

I always have trash in my backpack, whether it’s picked up while walking the trail or it’s my own from the day’s packed lunch and/or snack.  And my tackle box was a mess for quite some time, because of some leftover fishing line that I had put inside it; I didn’t want it to get caught up on some unsuspecting waterfowl, or person for that matter (If you don’t think it can happen, check this out).

So, please, if you’re one of them, try picking up after yourself.

And, even if you don’t leave your trash lying around, do your favorite outdoor place a favor and pick up what you can while you’re there.

Sometimes we just have to be other people’s parents.

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