By Brian G. Schommer

In the vernacular of anglers, to tell someone to have a “Crappie” day would not mean the same thing to those who don’t fish. Simply put, it means “I hope you catch your limit of Pomoxis nigromaculatus,” aka, Crappies. Yes, the pronunciation and the word itself are slightly different, but humor me a bit and allow yourself a bit of time to be entertained. Yes, the word is pronounced “cr-ah-ppie” and not “crappy,” but there are plenty of Minnesconsin anglers that call the fish a crappy. If you still want to argue the different pronunciations and meanings of the words, you may be too far gone for this week’s column. Take a step back with a deep breath or two and focus on things that are maybe a bit more Centrarchidae. I know you are really baffled now and have absolutely no idea where this is going. You are most likely not alone.

Centrarchidae is part of the scientific definition for the Sunfish, so in essence, as an “anglerism,” all I recommended is that you focus on things that bring sunshine to your life. The way I expressed it however, because it is in the form of written word which has no tone, could be taken several different ways. I do not doubt for a minute that many readers may have taken my use of big words and scientific jargon as a means of my posturing myself as intelligent, and maybe even more than those who are reading this column, making me a bit pompous. I assure you, that was not my intent. As for the intelligent part, I often say that I am not the brightest or dimmest bulb on the strand of lights that illuminate our lives. My real focus for this column, despite the elaborate rhetoric is that FISHING OPENER is going to be here soon. If you saw that coming, you have been a faithful reader for some time and have caught on to my literary shenanigans and occasional hidden agendas.

When I hear the word fishing, the memories of days wetting a line start racing like cars at the Daytona International Speedway. Growing up in much different times than we have now, getting together with your buddies and heading to Lake Isabel, Lake Rebecca, or Bullfrog Pond with the nightcrawlers you plucked from the neighbor’s yard the night before was commonplace. Grabbing the cane poles and a can of corn to fish chubs out of the Vermillion was a challenge like no other. Camping at Bums Layout with actions that make us all thankful cellphones with cameras did not exist remain as timeless stories which do not need any embellishment to be entertaining. Trips to Lake Michigan as an adult catching King and Coho Salmon and all the adventures in between, fishing memories bring me to a sunnier place, and I bet they do the same for many of you.

Even if you are not an avid angler, if you grew up in these parts, my guess is you have memories of fishing and hopefully, even better memories of catching. There is a lot to be said about just being along the shoreline of a peaceful lake, river, or stream and, being on a boat for many adds an aspect to the adventure that for many has become a way of life. For others, it may cause nausea and that is quite unfortunate. That just solidifies that we all have differences. I did see a quote on a friend’s social media page the other day about fishing though and it made a lot of sense to me. “I don’t go fishing to escape my life, I go fishing to live my life.” The part of this quote that screamed to me was not as much the fishing aspect, but the part about living life sure did.

Minnesota fishing opener is Saturday, May 14th and for those in Wisconsin, you get an early jump on us Mudducks with your opener scheduled for Saturday, May 7th. If you are an avid troller, and I mean that regarding fishing and not social media, you already knew the dates, have been getting your gear ready for a few weeks already and have been crossing the days off your calendar religiously. If you have not wet a line in years and have memories of some fishing adventures of days gone by, I encourage you to dust off the Zebco 202 rod and reel combo, dig up some crawlers and take a drive to a local fishing hole. Better yet, create a few memories for an important kid in your life and bring them along. Grab a license if legally obligated as the fines can be steep and the funds go to conserving the environment for generations to come. Live your life and enjoy your life. May several Pomoxis nigromaculatus and Centrarchidae days be in your future while you “Get Out and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.”