When Mike Norris guided Brennan Zimmy, 15, of Geneva to his personal-best largemouth on Fox Lake in Wisconsin in mid-June, Norris texted: “His first words were, ‘Look at the size of that mouth.’ I caught my first 5-pound largemouth bass 46 years ago, and I still vividly remember that catch. I’m sure he will, too, in 46 years. Such a lasting impression. It can change one’s life.”
Quite an observation from Norris, a foremost teacher of fishing in the Chicago area, a former tournament angler and an outdoors media guy now guiding in the Green Lake area.
Art Cybul, Zimmy’s grandfather, booked the trip and was in the boat.
“It can change one’s life” resonates with me.
Another example came this month from Mike Jacoby, Capt. Bob Poteshman’s nephew. We fished together a few years ago.
Jacoby took nephew Macky Weathers, 7, of Highland Park muskie-fishing in the Eagle Lake/Three Lakes area of northern Wisconsin. There, Weathers landed a 36-inch northern pike.
‘‘We were trolling crankbaits, and it hit right on a weed point,” Jacoby emailed. ‘‘He did an amazing job battling and getting the fish to the boat for me to net! After releasing the pike and getting everything reset, we lost a nice musky that jumped a few times and threw the bait. It was an awesome fish!”
In a follow-up, Jacoby observed: “Turned a cold and very windy ‘watch TV’ day for him into an outing that he’ll always remember.”
What summer vacation is meant to be.
Wild things
John Vukmirovich found good hauls of black raspberries over the weekend. . . . I’m still stuck on one monarch caterpillar, spotted by some kids while hiking June 1 at Willow Slough. . . . A rambling friend dropped a note of caution after getting dizzy in the heat last week. A passerby called 911. “Here’s the gist: Even experienced hikers, walkers, etc., can make a mistake about how hydrated they are. People need to be reminded that in very hot and humid weather (I think the humidity was what did me in), just when they think they drank enough fluids, they haven’t.”
Stray cast
Does Luis Robert Jr. ever feel like Richie Ashburn on the 1962 Mets? Things I ponder when fishing is slow.