It wasn't the first time I'd asked myself that very question. Here I was, standing out on a windy pier in 20 degree night-time temperatures, breath visible, frost crystals glinting in the dark, a few inches of snow on the ground and casting Rapala Husky jerks for errant keeper walleye in the shallows. Surely insanity was just one nice word to describe this unnatural example of personal stubborness and curiosity.
What was even more insane? The fish were biting...and I wasn't surprised. I'd seen it before.
What had started out as a personal challenge in early June has morphed into a big ugly monster. I made a decision and challenged myself to fish every day as long as I could.
Given I work 12 hour shifts and a rotating shift, I never had any intention of going longer than a week or two in any given stretch. Anything longer didn't seem possible given my other interests and responsibilities. But like always, life had other plans for me and I found the streak of continuous days fishing steadily pressing onward.
To further clarify this situation on how I reached this drastic point, I have to take you north, to the windswept plateau reservoir of South Dakota's Lake Oahe--223 miles, 200 feet deep and 370,000 surface acres of prime walleye and pike water, and home to both landlocked Atlantic and Chinook salmon.
It was here the seeds of inspiration were sown. It was here, I met quite possibly one of the greatest shoreline walleye anglers on the planet. And it was here, my life changed as my goals suddenly came into view.
Its funny in hindsight. Everyone always believes in the illusion they are better than they perhaps really are. For some anglers, its about trophy fish all the time, for others its about having fun and relaxing. For most I suspect, its about falling somewhere in the middle of the extremes and just being happy outdoors. I seem to fall somewhere outside the range of the norm and it wasn't until I met Sheridan Onefeather at the Causeway that first early trip up there in the spring that I finally began to piece together what had been missing in my angling adventures.
What I saw as the stormy April evening wore on was the man putting on an effortless display of angling mastery, a wizard waving a modern wand of graphite and monofilament.
For over an hour, I totally forgot about casting and just watched in amazement as the man stalked the wooden expanse of the Causeway like a hungry beast and plied scrappy marble-eyed treasure from the frigid waters with the subtlety of a surgeon. Without a word, he expertly analyzed the surrounding environment, recalled decades of previous experience and made quick and correct assumptions on where the fish were. In short, he caught fish while others struggled or outright gave up.
I've known a few great fishermen over the course of my nearly fifty years on the water. Met way more who believed they were better than they really were. I've always felt greatness needs no introduction or real fanfare. Consistent daily or weekly results speak for themselves, not seasonal one offs.
Sheridan is local legend whether he wants to believe it or not. Always more than happy to divulge where the fish are and what they are biting on. And always on the water. In short, he is an inspiration.
As I talked to him at length that night, he volunteered the secrets to much of his success. A dogged determination and desire to fish as often as possible, in all kinds of weather, particularly during the winter. He literally fished every day...every day. He's never owned a boat and sees no real benefit for himself in having one. And as someone who has personally caught more big walleye 28" or bigger than anyone I know, with photos to prove it, his words were etched into my memory and have stayed with me since.
This type of thinking was not something I usually considered up to that point. Work and sleep, get out a few times a week, rinse and repeat...but there was also little improvement in "my game."
I'd always been pretty good at catching fish, just not a lot of large fish. Bass were an easy target, very rarely did I fish for walleyes and my big trout fishing took place in South Dakota. Deep down, I knew it was time for a change. One cannot repeat the same tasks with the same effort and expect different results and frankly, I was ready for a leap to better results.
I changed a few things up in minor ways, hit new locations to expand my knowledge and awareness, but I honestly believe that just being out on the water everyday upped the odds in my favor. And I really owe it all to Sheridan for opening my eyes to the possibilities persistence brings...
In short I do encourage more people to challenge themselves, to push their boundaries and to make some sacrifices in order to become better fishermen. Most anglers fish fewer than 50 times a year, a few go beyond that and maybe hit a hundred...only a small percentage ever go beyond that.
It all comes down to how good do you want to become, how much are you willing to sacrifice to make it happen and how much time can you realistically devote to achieving those goals?
One last thing, with more time on the water, you are probably going to catch more fish. Consider practicing Selective harvest, especially if you are fishing smaller bodies of water.It don't take much on these small lakes to make a huge impact.
If it aint tight, it aint right.
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