July 22nd, 2008
By Arthur

I have to say I’m a bit jealous.  My sister’s boyfriend, who has been featured many times on the site, is at it again.  I wish I was young again, and didn’t have all of these obligations that I have, so that I could just enjoy the outdoors like I used to, but I have to do other things.  Sometimes I hate life.

Alright, so maybe I’m kidding.  Justin does have a job, and he does have obligations, but for some reason he just tends to get outside more than I do.  His recent excursions have taken him outside to do something that I wish I would have done by now.  As you can tell from the title of the post, I’m talking about bowfishing.

Justin, his dad, and a few of his friends have been going out and trying to put an arrow through a carp or garfish.  I have honestly been wanting to do this for the last few years, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Justin even, just recently, bought a generator to use to run his flood lights that help you to locate fish in the dark.  I will have to get pictures of the whole setup at some point, but for now you’ll just have to settle for a picture of this huge carp that he shot on a recent trip. Look at that monster.

For now, I will just wallow in my own pity until I can get myself out there with them one night to fish.  I have an old bow, and I really should set that up for bowfishing, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.  I’m not sure if it will happen this year or not, but hopefully it does.  Even if I only get to go with them on a trip and get to witness the event, that would be alright with me at that point.  I guess I’ll have to make an appointment, as I’m not sure how many spots are open on the boat, or how big the boat is.

So for all of you out there who are willing to give it a shot, get yourself out there and try to shoot some pesky fish species with bow and arrow.  It looks like a great way to spend a summer evening.

Popularity: 9% [?]

July 09th, 2008
By Arthur

I was usually awakened by conversation, along with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. If I was home I would have been up hours ago, but not now-not while I was in this place. I rolled over at 9, or maybe even 10 in the morning, and proceeded to get dressed and head down the spiral staircase to the main floor. The start of another great day.

Normally everyone was awake before me. They would be sitting around the kitchen counter enjoying their black go-go juice. They might even be sitting out on the deck enjoying the start of another great day on the Torch River. I was a little different, since I hate coffee, so I would head to the fridge and pour my cup of orange juice. I love the smell of coffee, but I could never get used to the taste.

Slowly I would walk down the hallway onto the laminated wood floor of the living room, ease the sliding glass door open, and proceed out onto the deck. The river, which was only a few feet away, would normally call to me and I would grab my fishing pole, already rigged with bobber and worm, and head out onto the dock to try my luck for that morning. The fish weren’t big, but they were a challenge to catch, and that was good enough for me.

After trying my luck on catching the perch, rock bass, or bluegill, that decided to fall prey to my hook and bobber, I would check in on everyone and see what was happening for lunch, or see who wanted to lose at a game of horse shoes. Some afternoons were spent on the pontoon, taking in the sun and the sights, and getting in some football throwing while wading on the Torch Lake sandbar. It was a rough life.

Evenings would bring about food-all kinds of food-from ribs, to frogmore stew, to pork chop and scallop potato casserole. We always ate good-no doubt about that. Of course, even with all of this food available for consumption, it wasn’t anything a nice cold beer couldn’t wash down. And boy did we drink plenty of that-in moderation of course!

All of my vacation days went pretty much like what I described. They were great, and as always went way too fast. It is amazing how time just flies by when you’re on vacation and almost comes to a stand still when you’re at work. I still haven’t adjusted to having to wear socks yet. I was barefoot pretty much everyday, sometimes with sandles on, and it was awesome.

Now it is back to reality, and to be honest I like being home. I like getting back into the routine of everyday life, but I can’t help but think about what it would feel like to be at the cottage again-being able to walk out my back door and enjoy a little fishing. Hopefully those days will return once again. I’m sure it won’t be soon enough.

Note: Stay tuned for more vacation posts. I have plenty. What’s in store you ask? Well, there will be a swan story (and no it’s not a nice story). I will introduce you to a little vacation friend that we met, and I will also be covering a few of our fishing escapades. I have plenty of things to write about, and I finally have my internet connection back as well, so the posts will keep on coming!

Popularity: 21% [?]

June 25th, 2008
By Arthur

I mentioned last week about the pond that my father-in-law has and about the fish that are stocked in the pond.  There is nothing I like better than fishing at a private pond, and more importantly than that, the pond is a perfect place to get kids involved in fishing.  We definitely did that.

The pictures you see are from last week.  The mother-in-law just sent them to me, because I was a slacker and forgot our camera that night.  We definitely got the kids involved that night, and even got the real youngsters involved in fishing.

My 8 month old nephew got to test out his feelings about his first live fish, and that went very well.  The minute he saw it he was immediately touching it and putting his finger IN IT’S MOUTH!  I thought that was hysterical.  It definitely proved he was ready to start fishing already and doesn’t have any fear when it comes to slimy wet creatures.

I also got to help my 3 year old niece fish with her pink Dora the Explorer pole (notice it is pink Jody!).  She was having a great time, but couldn’t quite grasp the whole idea of holding the button down AND casting at the same time, so Uncle Arthur jumped in and helped her.  I had a great time and knew it would be great practice for the years to come.  She was all about casting and reeling in the fish, but wanted nothing to do with touching the fish or baiting the hook.  In fact, at one point when I was baiting the hook near her, she promptly told me “it scared her”.

The kids had a great time, and despite the niece being a little afraid of the fish, she still didn’t want to quit reeling ‘em in!

I can’t wait to get out there again.  One of these days it is going to be with my kids, but until then, the nieces and nephews are great companions.

Popularity: 26% [?]

June 23rd, 2008
By Arthur

I’m not sure why, but I have been thinking about this lately. Where would I go, if money was no object, for the hunting or fishing trip of my dreams? I have many places that come to mind, but which one would be my top pick if I could only choose one, and I didn’t have to worry about how much it costs. This is a hard one.

I would absolutely love to black bear hunt somewhere. I was thinking maybe up in Ontario, or somewhere in that general vicinity. Heck, I wouldn’t even mind a black bear hunt in Northern Michigan, but since this is about money being no object, I wanted to set my goal a little higher.

I would also love to hunt Elk out in New Mexico, or Colorado maybe. That would be an absolute blast. Jeff and I could take a week off of work and head out west and chase some bugling beasts. I can already see the nice 6 X 6 mounted on my wall. I’m not sure my walls are big enough, but hey we are dreaming here right?

I would also love to hunt grizzly somewhere. I’m not sure where to be honest, but Alaska always seem to come to mind. I would of course be using my bow. That would be so nerve racking and oh so beautiful all at the same time. Can you imagine coming to full draw on a grizzly at a mere 20yds? I think I might need to bring extra underclothes for that trip. That would be a hunt that confirmed I was definitely alive!

Now lets talk about fishing. My ultimate fishing dream trip is to land a salmon in Alaska. Actually, to be honest, I don’t even need to land a fish for this trip to be worthwhile. I just want to be fly fishing in Alaska somewhere. It doesn’t have to be great weather, and I don’t even have to catch a fish, I just want to see my fly line touch the water in an Alaskan stream. We have planned this trip a couple of times, but sometimes life gets in the way and prevents things from happening. With a little one on the way, and getting prepared for that, the Alaskan trip is postponed for now, but it will come back again. Maybe next year? Only time will tell.

So those are a few of my favorite hunting and/or fishing trips that I would love to go on. I would love to hear from all of you what your dream outdoor trip would be. It doesn’t even have to include hunting or fishing, but it does have to involve the outdoors. If you do pick a hunting or fishing trip, I would love to hear what weapon you would use as well. So, if money was no object, where would you go for your ultimate outdoor vacation?

Popularity: 22% [?]