Back on the Water!

This week has been the first time in a long time that I have been on the water, doing something I love: fishing! I have been on a whirlwind tour of life this past year, with the main event being graduation from a 4 year degree at Millersville University.  I ended becoming involved very heavily with some extracurricular activities separate from school, and those activities ran my entire life.  I would be finished with classes, or work now, and have to run to different meetings and events every night and often on weekends.  My fishing gear started gathering dust and my license hadn’t been used since I bought it.  During school and before I bit off more than I could chew, I fished almost daily, but since taking on new responsibilities, I cut off all of the other things that I love to do.  It became very obvious how much my decreased times in the woods and on the water started to affect my stress level and happiness.  Thankfully, I made the decision to back off on some of my responsibilities so that I have time for some of the things I enjoy again.  Since making that decision, I was able to hit the water every day this week.  Instantly, I remembered how much fishing and being in the outdoors is my release from the daily stresses of being a recently graduated safety professional.  Without much luck on conventional tackle, I switched over to my fly rod and began patiently building back my casting skills.  Although they were small, I was able to land 3 smallmouth bass on a Muddler Minnow in a pool on the local river.  I can honestly say that I was thrilled to hit the water again, and my mood has definitely increased since returning to my happy place on the water.  I look forward to seeing what this fall has in store for my fishing addiction, and I look forward to begin documenting my adventures on the water and in the field on this blog.  If you have any similar stories, feel free to share!

Tight Lines!