Life – Fishing Iowa and the Midwest

Do you ever get lost? Do you ever forget? I feel like I have been lost the past few weeks.

I realized the last time I went fishing was Friday, September 4 which was over 3 weeks ago. I cannot tell you the last time I did not fish for three weeks.

So why haven’t I went fishing? I cannot honestly tell you why. It could revolve around number of factors…kids starting school or helping my wife with her new business (Chippy Chick Company). All I can tell you is that I’m lost without fishing.

You might say…just go fishing. That sometimes is easier said than done. I could go less than 5 minutes from my house, but the quality is just not there. I want quality damnit.

I have found that as of late I want to find the next honey-hole and the next big bass. It is kind of hard to do when you don’t have a boat sitting in your driveway. I do have the ability to take the old man’s boat, but it is 50 minutes from my house.

Ok…I’m tired of making excuses. You know what they say about excuses…everybody’s got one and they all stink.

What I do want to know, is if you’ve ever experienced this? This is one of the first times I’ve ever simply felt lost.

Since I am mostly rambling at this point…I know there is only one thing left to do. GO FISHING!

I’m hoping to be able to spend the months of October and November finding some new ponds/lakes as well as doing some river fishing. But until then…tight lines and good luck the next time you’re out on the water!

Whether you hunt, fish or you are a person of the outdoors, a knife can save your life, but more importantly a knife can tell a story.

My favorite knife is this Swiss Army knife. I use it regularly to open a package, tighten a screw or cut fishing line.

This knife belonged to my grandfather, LaVern Zunkel. He was born May 24, 1923, in Boone County, the son of Clifford and Marie Elliott Zunkel. He was a graduate of Ogden high school and in 1944 entered the United States Army, serving with the 90th Infantry Division during World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and received the good conduct ribbon, European Theatre Ribbon, two Battle Stars, a Victory Ribbon and a Combat Infantry Badge.

On November 25, 1948 he married my grandmother, Beverly. For those that remember LaVern and Beverly, they were the sweetest little couple and I’m thankful to have grown up with them being a big part of my life.

Grandpa passed in 2001 and Grandma passed in 2008. It wasn’t long after grandma passed that we were going through different things and I came upon this knife. I’d never really carried a knife, but I thought this was something that would be great to hold on to remembering my grandfather.

Since 2008, this knife has made it’s home in my right pocket. I’ve carried other knives, but it isn’t the same as carrying this red Swiss Army knife.

The funny thing is I’ve lost several other knives over the past decade, but I’ve never lost this one. Sure I’ve misplaced it a time or two, but it always shows back up. Most recently, I misplaced it…I wasn’t mad it was more of a sadness. The weird part is I had a feeling it would show back up. And guess what…I was cleaning out my closet and there it was under a pile of dirty laundry.

This knife to me is not a knife, it is a piece of me and a part of my grandfather that I will always carry. This knife has a story from an Iowa farm boy, a WWII veteran, a father and a grandfather.