I love my Dad!

[yooper_fisher]

With Father's Day a week away I have been thinking a lot about my Dad lately. I figured I'd share some of those thoughts with you guys since I know a lot of us (but certainly not all) owe our fishing and outdoor heritage to our fathers.

My dad grew up in a small farming community in Michigan on the boarder of Wisconsin. All the fishing and hunting he wanted was just a short bike ride away, and he took advantage of that. His father wasn't much of an outdoorsman, but he took my dad when he could and taught him the little he knew (like when grouse hunting, walk as slow as you can than cut that speed in half). As such, my father picked up anything he could from uncle's and family friends, and he learned a lot which he later passed onto me.

In the mid '70's he was lucky enough to get a job with the Michigan DNR as a forester, a job he held until early this year when he finally retired after 35 + years. I could tell he loved going to work each day, since each day meant another day to be outside. It wasn't always easy work (as I later discovered becoming a forester myself), but the reward was the office of nature. In his later years with the department, after he became a supervisor, he would lament on the fact that he didn't get out in the field as much as he wanted, but he very much enjoyed mentoring the new generation of foresters.

When I was as little as 3 I can remember my dad taking me down to the river to throw a bobber out behind out house. I can't remember catching anything, but I loved the time spent with him. He could have been doing other things, but he chose to teach me the basics of fishing. When I was 5 or 6 he started taking me hunting, first for ruffed grouse where he taught me the basics of firearm safety and to have a watchful eye, then a few years later he started taking me deer hunting, where he taught me the importance of patience and being quiet. There's no doubt he would have gotten more birds and deer without me, but he chose to teach me so I could enjoy the sport.

This time together continued up through the time I went off to college, and he continued to teach me. The lessons learned in the deer blind or in the boat helped me in life, although I didn't realize it at the time. Even in college I would still make it to deer camp each year for opening day (except one year, where a stubborn professor wouldn't let me take an exam early, the same professor that made my dad miss the only opening day he's ever missed too!) and during the summer we would chase brook trout together.

Now that I've spent a little more than a year 2,000 miles away from my family, his influence continues. I have used what he has taught me about fishing to figure out the lakes here, and I often call him from the water if the fish aren't biting to ask his advice. Just the other day I was trolling and decided that I wanted to know how fast I was going. I remembered that my dad had just purchased a new GPS and didn't need his old one anymore. I gave him a call and asked if I could buy it from him, he replied that he would just send it. When the package arrived I saw that it had Cabela's tape on it. I found this odd, but figured it was an old box. Upon opening the box I discovered a brand new GPS unit.

Dad, and to all the dad's out there, THANK YOU! You have nurtured and helped grow our love and respect for the outdoors and made us the people we are today. There is no way we can ever fully thank you or begin to repay you for your love and patience as we grew up, but we will continue to try.

[Mike Carey]

very cool. You have a great dad!

[MarkFromSea]

Mine has passed but lives on with every cast I make. It's his actions and stories that led me down the road of fishing, hunting, back packing and camping. Thanks Dad!

[faritoman]

aww that's the sweetest. You have a wonderful dad!