As a young boy in middle school in the early 60's my folks were blessed with having a cottage on a popular lake in west Michigan. My Dad was a boater but not necessarily a fisherman. I was fascinated with watching the popular fishing shows back then. They always seemed to catch allot of fish and big ones. A few years of this and I actually became frustrated. Excuse me, some of us would like to know how to catch them which they seldom and more often then not failed to mention each week.
After graduation from high school I'd had enough. I spent hours, days, weeks, months and years trying to understand these aquatic species we call fish. I was on a mission to let others understand how to catch them. When asking other fisherman how their day went all I ever heard was, "well they weren't biting today it was to hot". "Waited all week to go fishing and that stupid cold front shut them down". "Got on the water when the sun came up and they stopped biting". "You need live bait or you don't have a chance".
I felt bad they were not having much luck and decided I needed to let them know what I had learned and maybe this would help. Remembering the hours I'd spent watching those fishing shows and frustrated because they said very little on how to catch them, I figured it was my turn. I guess you could say I didn't go fishing. I went learning.
I mortgaged my home and spent $50,000 on camera and equipment and never looked back. My mission today was the same as it was back then. How do we catch more fish. Even though today our world has become high tech, the fish don't care. The water is still wet. I guess you could say we do allot of filtering, debunking myths, understanding the species, practical diagnostics, racialistic applications and collection of factual information.
When talking with anglers and watching TV shows I don't see much has changed today. Fortunately we have more than we had. Just not enough. Ron and Al Linder got it right with In-Fisherman. I've just added another chapter called Continuing Angler Education, what you need to know.
The National School of Fishing is on a mission and has been since 1982 when it was known as Anglers Diary. Several years ago we changed the name to reflect the scope of that mission. Exciting things are on the horizon and will be a first on this site. We don't have all the answers. Never will and don't pretend to. What we do have is an abundance of information gathered over all those years I spent learning on the water.
It has been said there is only one thing certain in this lifetime and that's death. Oh so wrong! To me absent from the body is present with the Lord. I just pray there is fishing in heaven.
Have a blessed day and enjoy the site.
National School of Fishing LLC
3553 New Holland St
Hudsonville, MI 49426
616-662-0608 office
Info@nationalschooloffishing.com
