Baltimore’s Burning But Big Rockfish

Baltimore’s Burning But Big Rockfish

It was May 1, 2015, a Friday, and Baltimore seemed like the last place anyone would go for a peaceful getaway. But my wife, Kathy, and I had planned to visit her son Jay in Charm City that very weekend. We were determined to make it happen. Network news broadcasts...

Sharks vs. Catfish

Sharks vs. Catfish

When it comes to sharks vs. catfish, the cats win by a nose. Hollywood has been in love with sharks for far too long. It is high time the catfish finally gets some glory. Sure, sharks have an entire week devoted to them on the Discovery Channel, and then there is the...

New State Record Yellow Perch

New State Record Yellow Perch

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently recognized Tyler Halley of Maryville for catching a new state record yellow perch. Halley was fishing on a private pond in Nodaway County when he caught the 1-pound, 14-ounce fish using the pole-and-line method....

Pride And Regret

Pride And Regret

Carl Lear loved hunting grouse and fishing for trout. So when the opportunity came for him to go north from Virginia to hunt grouse in classic autumn Michigan, he stashed his old fiberglass fly rod in the truck as well, on the off chance that he might come across a...

Sweet Soul of the Smokies

Sweet Soul of the Smokies

Maggie “Aunt Mag” Williams (1863-1961) In the halcyon days of childhood, most of us had the distinct privilege, although we might not have recognized it at the time, of being in close contact with older folks who merited the description of being “a genuine character.”...

A Dozen For Down Under

A Dozen For Down Under

The 2019/2020 fire season in Australia has been catastrophic. The latest figures estimate 46 million acres have burned, 36 people died and a mind-boggling loss of 1 billion animals including some species that are on the brink of extinction.   These numbers are growing...