What do a horse-crazy girl, a fish-crazy guy, and an Australian Shepherd dog have in common? I would have said absolutely nothing, but somehow, those three became the basis of Argosgirl Outdoors.
For our first Christmas together, Darrell (the fish-crazy guy), gave me (Rebecca, the horse-crazy girl) a fishing rod and tackle. Was I happy? Uh, not exactly. I was in desperate need of a winter jacket and boots and we had no money for extra things. But he was so excited to show me these things and explain what each lure did that I really couldn’t be too upset.
I had fished only a handful of times as a child and it didn’t leave me loving the activity. Darrell grew up in and on the water, fishing every chance he had. He’d ride his bike to school and stop along the way to fish. A 45 minute trip took closer to 6 hours during fishing season.
I was the kid who quit every activity she tried, until I had my first riding lesson. Horses were it for me and I spent every moment at the barn or at horse shows. My final show horse was Argo. He was an off-track thoroughbred that I competed in the jumper classes with, but neither of us really enjoyed the show thing. We eventually stopped the show scene and he came home to live out his days with me. I had him for 20 years before losing him to melanoma. He was my best friend and he’s namesake of this blog.
Although he had given me fishing stuff for Christmas, Darrell was smart about never pushing me to get into it. By the next spring we would spend a lot of time walking around the busy horse farm we lived on with our dog Jack, the Australian Shepherd. When trout opener came that year Darrell and Jack were down at the creek constantly. Eventually I joined them on a few trips because I’d always loved hanging out near creeks and rivers.
One day I took my fishing rod down to the creek and he showed me how to cast an inline spinner. It was a disaster. I kept flinging the lure too far and missing the water entirely. Darrell then told me to try his much shorter, light action rod. Success! I called that rod the itty-bitty and claimed it as mine. It was my favourite rod until it finally broke years later.
A few weeks after that all three of us were in a boat fishing Fairy Lake in Acton. Jack obviously wasn’t fishing but he loved being part of every adventure and greeted each fish we brought into the boat. On that outing I learned about sight-fishing for crappie and pulled in a fish on every cast. It was amazing and I was hooked.
We started going on more adventures. Fishing everywhere we could. Going camping. Taking Jack for hikes. There’s nothing Jack loved more than chasing squirrels or trying to jump up large cliffs. Eventually I started sharing our adventures in this blog.
Through the blog we have met so many amazing people, done our best to teach people about fishing, camping, and conservation, and have had so many opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Since those early years there was a break when I decided to run a market garden farm off our property and was too busy and tired to write. We also had to say goodbye to Jack in 2021, a loss we will always grieve. He gave us the best thing a dog ever could – unconditional love and countless happy memories. He also taught our other dogs a thing or two about being good adventure partners. Molly, Panda, and Erza join us on most of our adventures these days.
We hope you’ll gain something out of reading our stories. Whether it’s a just a break in your day, a good laugh, some fishing tips, or inspiration to get out and go on that camping trip. Thanks for being here!
~ Rebecca & Darrell
