In Our Seventh Issue of The Road to Water Magazine, we have Stories You’ll Never Forget
From the very first issue, we wanted The Road to Water Magazine to be a different reading experience for anglers than what they’d become used to.
We were not here to share the latest and greatest tactics and techniques about where and how to catch your next largest fish. There are websites, apps and podcasts galore that will make those promises.
We were not here to showcase the most recent innovations in gear or tackle. As the media we consume becomes increasingly personalized, no doubt every social media feed you glance at has you inundated with cutting-edge, ultra-light, state-of-the-art, never-before-seen, tackle.
Our simple aim was to share stories about people and places that fascinated us. We knew the best part of any fishing story was always either the people or the place. The characters who attempted incredible feats and the places that were so beautiful, unforgettable or awe-inspiring that their existence could not be kept a secret. There are people and places that are meant for stories.
Take, for example, John Anderson. Anderson is a muskie guide on some of Canada’s wildest and most muskie-rich water, and the man has landed more than 300 fish that were at least 50 inches. With that many muskie put in a boat, you’ve got stories of dogs being attacked, terminally ill patients catching a muskie that lived in a spot that Anderson knew so well that he returned with his sick friend to catch a fish that he knew resided there for… a third time. Anderson has fished with the guitarist from Iron Maiden, a blind angler and once had an angler break his arm while battling a muskie only to land it and keep fishing, landing another fish with his arm in a sling.
Or how about Steve Ramirez, a fantastic fishing writer who we spoke with about his Casting series of books. Ramirez has fished all over the country, traveling and writing, and shares some profound insight about how we need to treat the earth if we expect to leave it for generations to come after us. A columnist for Fly Fisherman Magazine, Ramirez’s words are as meaningful and well-chosen as anyone working as an outdoor writer today.
Monte Burke is another phenomenal writer whose books have resonated with thousands of readers as he’s explored topics from world-record largemouth bass to the obsessive quest for giant tarpon in Florida. Burke was kind enough to share some of the inspiration and insight that has gone into his writing.
But for straight wow-power, it’s tough to top Jeremiah Catlin. This army chaplain sustained a life-threatening injury in the Middle East, had a potentially deadly surgery stateside that wound up saving his life, and has devoted his time thereafter to getting veterans on the water and in the woods through his ministry at Chappy’s Outdoors.
If you’re on a quest to catch giant, beautiful brook trout, you’d be hard-pressed to find more wisdom than Scott Daskiewich offers us in our interview. The Adirondack angler has landed more big brook trout than anyone I’ve ever met or talked to.
Blair Erickson is a top-notch college bass fisherman at the University of Alabama, Montevallo, and shares what it’s like to be working on a four-year degree while bouncing around the Southeast competing in college bass tournaments.
There are more stories in this issue, and we think you’ll love them. That’s exactly why we created the Road to Water. It is our sincere belief that that “you-won’t-believe-this…” expression, story, or incredulous attempt at description is the beating heart of our love for the sport. It’s the stories that we trade, search for and hold onto, over a tackle counter, a campfire, a cell phone and especially through words and images, that make this sport one that we all share with one another. It’s the stories that connect us, inspire us and that have the power to live forever.
Thanks for reading and God bless,
Rick
Catch A Cure 