Make time to cast a line before you can’t

DECOY’S

This past weekend in the Wisconsin outdoors world, the traditional opener for musky in the Northern Zone took place. The fish of a thousand cast. The top of the heap, the trophy of trophy fish for Wisconsin fisherman, the musky sits atop the food pyramid in its world. At least the adults do. Because it is well known that northern fry eat musky fry, and so do any other fish large enough to swallow them. The world record musky was caught in Wisconsin waters.

When you hook into a large one it feels like you snagged youf bait on a log. Then the battle begins.

But this past weekend was far more important because it was Memorial Day weekend. One of the most avid musky fishermen I know will tell you this straight out. He was out there fishing this past weekend. Yet, he will tell you that the most important E YE

thing that happens is the remembrance of those that sacrificed all, so that we can enjoy the freedoms that living in our country has to offer, like musky fishing. Thought and prayers to the families of those heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice, allowing us to continue to live with the freedoms we have. Next weekend will be the “Governor’s Free Fishing Weekend” where a fishing license isn’t required to wet a line. (The other fishing rules apply like bag and size limits.) I encourage everyone who can to wet a line. I won’t be getting out this coming weekend. I will be otherwise laid up for sometime this summer. It’s for a positive reason and has been some time coming. It was supposed to occur last year about this same time. I am going to have my second knee replaced. It needs to be done. Walking 25 steps through snow turns the rest of the steps into an excruciatingly painful occurrence with each step. It makes grouse hunting difficult. It makes just walking a pain, literally.

But I did spend last summer laid up due to another set of circumstances. I experienced some heart damage from an illness, which means I eat far more salad than cheeseburgers now. I have returned to just a hair under normal heart function. A year ago I was less than a hair away from being put on the heart transplant list. This was from a virus. It wasn’t COVID, it wasn’t from the vaccine, and I didn’t have a stroke. The virus that caused all this has been doing this for thousands of years. It can attack the heart in adults and it did for me. Which is why I say get out and wet a line; don’t waste time. Like those we honor and remembered this past weekend and give thanks to, you don’t know how much time you have. Go fishing.

I thought about this last Saturday evening as my campfire burned and I looked south across the yard. The apple trees and lilacs were in full in bloom. The geese were honking and a few woodcock were sky dancing.

I was tired from a long and active day. There is plenty to do before being laid up for eight weeks or so. My muscles were sore, my feet tired, my back aching, but the flames of the fire licked away my troubles. It had been a productive day. I raised a glass of the good stuff, something else that doesn’t happen too often anymore.

I managed to get everything that absolutely had to get done by Memorial Day done by the weekend prior. So I had started on what “needs” to get done sometime this summer. And that involved bull work that I couldn’t do last summer. Last summer I was told that running a chainsaw probably meant experiencing 150 joules while conscious.

I wasn’t supposed to shoot a shotgun last summer, but there was no actual testing that said it would trigger 150 joules. I tested it, no shock was administered. Had a buddy ask if I could video this testing. I told him I would if I could do it with his shotgun. So I shot a lot of clays last summer. So far this year, I’ve enjoyed running a lot of chainsaw.

Go fishing, wet a line, don’t worry about fishing for musky, to tell the truth I prefer to fish for bluegill now. Age will do things like that to you, I guess. Make time to fish.

Tight lines everyone.

K OLAR THROUGH A

LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN