Out With The Old And In With The New
As I reflect on 2012, I realize that it was a year like any other. I worked, worried about having money to pay bills and then blew a lot of it on fishing gear and fishing trips, went fishing as often as I could, looked after the horses, and enjoyed all the time I had with Darrell.
The year marked another homecoming as the herd of horses grew to three when Scoop came home. Having him back in my life was a blessing I had not counted on. He caused headaches at first, which I had expected, when I needed to put up more fencing, build a shed for him, and devise a solution for keeping him away from the old farts (as my other two are affectionately known as) while they were eating. But whatever headaches he may have cause were offset by his spectacularly fun personality. I’ve never had a horse that was so much fun to play with – whether it’s tag, tug-of-war, or just some roughhousing. He brings a smile to my face and I think Argo was even happy to see him when he came home.
As far as fishing was concerned, 2012 was the year of the crappie. Darrell and I both caught personal best crappie and seemed to find slabs even when we weren’t looking for them. For numbers and size, 2012 was awesome. It started with pulling huge numbers of crappies through the ice at Fairy Lake, then pulling them out of the weeds in Fairy Lake in the spring. Days of catching 100 or more fish were the norm this past spring. Then we went trolling in Guelph Lake and found some big slabs. But the best crappie outing was never meant to be. We were on vacation and fishing Georgian Bay in the Pointe au Baril area, with all the crappie gear sitting at home. A weather system had come through and seemed to shut the bite down. We caught a few bass and a few pike, but the bites were hard to come by. When we marked suspended fish on the GPS, we actually thought we may be on some smallies. Down went the drop shot and up came…giant crappies! One after another, and each one bigger than the next. Neither Darrell nor I could stop smiling and laughing. It was fantastic.
Holy slabs! The crappie fishing was unbelievable!
Of course, there were other memorable moments – like Darrell catching a carp on ultralight gear and the fish proceeding to make a giant mess all over us and the boat, getting my first ever brookie on a fly rod (it was very, very tiny), finally catching a salmon in Owen Sound, and a fantastically fun trip to the Moon River with exploding pike on the topwater. We even put the boat into Lake Ontario early in the year and, while wearing a floater suit because it was so cold, I pulled in the most beautiful rainbow trout I have ever caught.
The beautiful rainbow!
We fished the Binbrook Crappie Derby, Belwood Lake Pike Derby, Grand River Bass Derby, Fish-A-Thon For A Cure, and the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular.
I stocked Atlantic Salmon, had the privilege of helping kids learn how to fish, attended the Asian Carp Public Forum, completed Stream Steward training, and planted trees in the rain.
Little Atlantic Salmon.
The biggest decision I made in 2012 was to return to school. I applied to college, left my job, and got ready to make things difficult for us around here. I’m taking a bit of a risk, which would not be possible without Darrell’s support, and doing something I’m hoping will change my life. I cannot wait to get to Fleming next week and start the Ecosystem Management Technician program!
Looking back at it now, it seems that my 2012 was pretty wonderful. It even ended on a great note…
…taking the dogs for a nice walk in the snow…
..and getting out on some ice up north, where Darrell caught our last fish of 2012.
It’s funny, there were more than a few times during the year when I felt down and things got hard, but in the end, it’s the good things that I remember. So here’s to another wonderful year in 2013. May it bring as many fish, as much fun, and as many memories as 2012 did.
Happy New Year!
argosgirl
Latest posts by argosgirl (see all)
- Open Water Season Begins - March 16, 2024
- A Day Trip To South River - March 2, 2024
- New Year’s Camping At MacGregor Point - February 24, 2024
Congratulations to you and your decision to return to school! It took me over 25 years to finish my degree program and I’ve never regretted that decision. OK, so now the loans start coming due but the adventure was well worth it. Once I’ve got that under control I hope to pursue my Master’s in Sustainable Business Management. Best of luck to you!!
Thanks Mary! My only regret is that I spent 4.5 years earning my BA, only to start all over again! LOL it’s not much of a regret. Good luck to you with your future schooling!