About a year ago the fish’n buddy I call Captain Dave came up with an idea for an adventure in Kentucky. The Captain is ( he actually is US Coast Guard Certified) suggested we stay in the “Land Between the Lakes” and fish Lake Barkley or Kentucky Lake. It was an idea I enthusiastically agreed upon. The plan was
conceived at the end of the 2012 fishing season. My fishing season never really ended and I fished throughout the winter. This spring my zeal for fishing was increasing and I began to create some art focused upon my recent fishing memories. One of these is a photo montage of the best catches of each month. The
montage like my fishing adventures spans seasons and starts in December of 2012. Now I am about to add a photo of June 21013. I could not begin to communicate my appreciation for friends old and new with a photo of me holding fish, so I am adding a story to the photo montage to attempt to say thanks to all creatures
here below, and the heavenly hosts above and around that bless the life and times of this simple fisherman.
All the adventures pictured in my photo montage were great and they seemed to build with
a spirit of nature I feel when I get outdoors with friends and we just fish! The seasons came and went and aligned well with my work as an artist and teacher. June came and my responsibilities changed and Capt. Dave’s promise to explore a great Kentucky Lake became a realization. Upon my arrival to a condominium the Capt. Provided, I met two new fish’n buddies. There was Rob and Drew. Our backgrounds were diverse but from the onset and especially as the three day adventure progressed, I could feel we shared a love of nature and fishing. There was Dave the Captain and guide who orchestrated this grand adventure. Dave lived
for over twenty years in Alaska and was a lineman for Alaska Telephone Company. Dave has fished in places I dream about and offers a round the world perspective voluminous enough for a novel in keeping with the Old Man and the Sea, if only I had the artistic skill of Ernest Hemmingway to tell it!
Then there was Rob a former Navy Seal and retired Waterfowl Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. I had not known Rob as long as Dave, but I was intrigued by the points of view of the mild spoken student of nature and veteran (VietNam era).
The youngest of our fishing party was Drew, a recent high school graduate (driven to Kentucky by his mother (she rightfully checked out the captain) ) Drew’s mature view on life was influenced by scouting
and farm work.
As Drew put it the Captian, the Biologist and the Art Professor were a most interesting mix!
We got along well and enjoyed three grand days in one another’s company. The fishing was great. Of course it always is with Captain Dave and he paid me a compliment when he said I always seem to be
able to find fish. I guess we make a good team. I really enjoy my role as the cook and chaplain. The meals were proceeded with prayers of thanks for the fish and the beautiful natural environment we caught them in. We taught each other the value of different points of view and shared stories and many laughs. The
final effort to catch the “Barkley Lake Monster” lasted until rain and darkness forced us in. At sunset the floats we set kept us busy bring in catfish after catfish. We had planned to rod and reel fish while we watched and waited on the floats to indicate a fish was on, but the pace was so fast we could not just
relax in the boat and rod and reel fish. Rob came up with a classic “Yogieism” (wisdom of baseball great Yogi Berra) – “I wish those darn fish would leave us alone so we can fish”.
P.S.
I could not have had a better time and now I must add “The Land Between the Lakes” to
possible retirement locations.
conceived at the end of the 2012 fishing season. My fishing season never really ended and I fished throughout the winter. This spring my zeal for fishing was increasing and I began to create some art focused upon my recent fishing memories. One of these is a photo montage of the best catches of each month. The
montage like my fishing adventures spans seasons and starts in December of 2012. Now I am about to add a photo of June 21013. I could not begin to communicate my appreciation for friends old and new with a photo of me holding fish, so I am adding a story to the photo montage to attempt to say thanks to all creatures
here below, and the heavenly hosts above and around that bless the life and times of this simple fisherman.
All the adventures pictured in my photo montage were great and they seemed to build with
a spirit of nature I feel when I get outdoors with friends and we just fish! The seasons came and went and aligned well with my work as an artist and teacher. June came and my responsibilities changed and Capt. Dave’s promise to explore a great Kentucky Lake became a realization. Upon my arrival to a condominium the Capt. Provided, I met two new fish’n buddies. There was Rob and Drew. Our backgrounds were diverse but from the onset and especially as the three day adventure progressed, I could feel we shared a love of nature and fishing. There was Dave the Captain and guide who orchestrated this grand adventure. Dave lived
for over twenty years in Alaska and was a lineman for Alaska Telephone Company. Dave has fished in places I dream about and offers a round the world perspective voluminous enough for a novel in keeping with the Old Man and the Sea, if only I had the artistic skill of Ernest Hemmingway to tell it!
Then there was Rob a former Navy Seal and retired Waterfowl Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. I had not known Rob as long as Dave, but I was intrigued by the points of view of the mild spoken student of nature and veteran (VietNam era).
The youngest of our fishing party was Drew, a recent high school graduate (driven to Kentucky by his mother (she rightfully checked out the captain) ) Drew’s mature view on life was influenced by scouting
and farm work.
As Drew put it the Captian, the Biologist and the Art Professor were a most interesting mix!
We got along well and enjoyed three grand days in one another’s company. The fishing was great. Of course it always is with Captain Dave and he paid me a compliment when he said I always seem to be
able to find fish. I guess we make a good team. I really enjoy my role as the cook and chaplain. The meals were proceeded with prayers of thanks for the fish and the beautiful natural environment we caught them in. We taught each other the value of different points of view and shared stories and many laughs. The
final effort to catch the “Barkley Lake Monster” lasted until rain and darkness forced us in. At sunset the floats we set kept us busy bring in catfish after catfish. We had planned to rod and reel fish while we watched and waited on the floats to indicate a fish was on, but the pace was so fast we could not just
relax in the boat and rod and reel fish. Rob came up with a classic “Yogieism” (wisdom of baseball great Yogi Berra) – “I wish those darn fish would leave us alone so we can fish”.
P.S.
I could not have had a better time and now I must add “The Land Between the Lakes” to
possible retirement locations.