FishwithJD

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Fishing with a True American Hero: Major General Erbon Wise

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General Erbon Wise and JD with a big king from the Nushagak River in Alaska


To commemorate Memorial Day, here’s a salute to one of the true heroes of this country: Major General Erbon W. Wise, 90, of Sulphur, Louisiana…a man I feel extremely privileged to have been able to spend some time with (I guided him two seasons in Alaska).

General Wise has lived a life that makes me feel like I’ve accomplished absolutely nothing. He put in 29 years of service defending this country — including slogging his way ashore and up Utah Beach under heavy enemy fire as a twenty-something year-old Army Captain during the invasion of France in June 1944. He was also active during the Korean War and Vietnam. Because of guys like General Wise, we are able to live the lives we have today and for that, we are forever in his debt. Click here to read more…

Are you a member of the “Society?”

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There are a couple different varieties of steelhead anglers out there in the world. First, you have the casual fan, the one who likes to get out and chase steelies around from time to time – especially when the river’s perfect and it’s in somebody else’s boat. Then, you have the small, masochistic, semi-antisocial, diabolically obsessed, over-the-top society of incurable lunatics.

When it comes to steelheading, there’s not a lot of gray area between the two. You’re pretty much one or the other. To help you figure out which category you fall into, read over the following statements. If you can’t relate to many of them, you’re probably living a healthy, normal and productive life. On the other hand, if you can relate to most or all of these, welcome to the club, brother… Click here to read more…

Fishing Trivia: Impress the Ladies with these nuggets!

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Okay, so in this age of informational overdose, you probably already have way too much stuff rattling inside in deep recesses of your brain and don’t need anything else jammed in there, but I’m going to load you up with a good dose of totally useless and random fish trivia anyway.

I guess “useless” may be a little strong of a word — you may be able to impress the ladies at cocktail party by busting out one of these little nuggets (highly unlikely) or perhaps at least make your fishing pals think you’re smart (didn’t work for me, but give ‘er a go anyway).

So, without further adieu, here are some things you may or may not already know…Click here to read more…

The Story of the World Record King Salmon

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Les Anderson's World record king salmon

On May 17, 1985, Les Anderson of Soldotna, AK landed the all-tackle world record king salmon…this 97-pound, 4-ounce beast from the Kenai River. The mammoth Chinook was nearly 5 feet long and had an amazing 37.5-inch girth!

The improbable catch took place during the Kenai’s early run of kings, which typically features smaller salmon than the July run.

What’s even more crazy is the fish probably weighed considerably more at the time Andersen caught it…

Click here to read more…

Goodbye, Old Friend

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Fish Dog

I lost my best fishing buddy tonight…

Rudy, you were the best pal a guy could have. You’re going to be sorely missed. Thanks for all the good times and the memories. I hope doggie Heaven is full of salmon to bark at, rabbits to chase, beef jerky to gobble and 6-foot sticks to fetch.

We’ll never forget you…