Livin' the Mid-Summer's Dream

Well now, I knew I had fallen off the wagon, but I had no idea it had been nearly two months since the last post! My apologies to the faithful readers who were forced to sift through the archives. I'll try not to let this happen again ;-)

Like the rain, my outdoors experiences have been in a dry spell.

Much like the blogging, my outdoors experiences have fallen victim to the ruthless nature of "life" in modern America. That camping trip, those fishing plans, the deer scouting all has taken a back seat  to home improvement, family vacations and the dreaded responsibility. I keep wondering, is this what happens? Is this what takes hunters out of the tree stand, and anglers off the bass? Is this what growing up is going to be for me?

Boaters recreating on a sandbar. A little slice of the outdoors right here in the Metro.

After much consideration, I'll have to admit -I don't like it. I've decided to make more time for the outdoors experience, because that perfect day on the water isn't just going to magically fit into my schedule. That means I'll have to tackle that rainy day and brave the inclimate outdoors on the next trip. If I don't, I'm afraid the rods and tents will just sit in the corner collecting more dust. So I made time for fishing last Saturday and was blessed with a mid-summer's dream.

Beached and bottom fishing while I re-rigged my neglected tackle.

Fishing can be slow in the heat of an Iowa summer, so I slowed down to enjoy it. Drift fishing past log jams and rock piles, I finally locked onto a pattern. I had gone through the stinkbait, shad and turned to spinners. It turns out a beetlespin with an over-sized dark body and a Colorado blade slow fished with the current is irresistable to smallmouth and largemouth on the river. The bite didn't heat up until the sun went down and the shadows of the trees stretched out into the river. Once it was on, it didn't stop until the setting sun shut us down. It was so relaxing and rewarding to be reunited with the river and the trees, I can't wait to return.

Heather dragging me out of the outdoors as the summer sunlight wanes.

So please get out there and enjoy your own mid-summer's dream. There's no time like now and Fall will be here all too soon. October 1st is on my horizon so it's all good to me, but I'm still aiming to make s'more summer memories before this one slips out of my grasp!