I stumbled across a statistical tidbit the other day that probably will surprise many people. U.S. Census Bureau figures show that between 1900 and 2000, the state that grew the least in population, on a percentage basis, was Iowa. Read that again. No state had smaller population growth ...

The (very old) story is told of a $20 bill and a $1 bill in the vault of a large bank. “Hey, Twenty,” said the $1 bill, “I haven’t seen you in a long time. Where have you been?” “Man, I’ve been having a ball,” replied the $20 bill. “I’ve been to the finest restaurants, to ...

Plastic tails that we put on the back of our jigs have proven themselves to be fish-catchers. However, until the past few years, there has been the belief that plastics are most productive in warm water fishing situations. In cold water, slow presentations are usually more productive, and again ...

January is an anniversary of sorts for me. It’s an anniversary that has resulted in learning some life lessons. I married in 1969 and within eight months my bride and I had purchased a home and settled into the community. My wife loved her hometown and I did, too. We had no plans to move ...

Most people who go fishing on the ice will agree that sonar enables them to catch more fish. Sonar will reveal fish that are down there and it will show how the fish respond to the bait that you’re using. When I first started ice fishing forty plus years ago, the use of sonar wasn’t real ...

My sentimental feelings for Christmas should be no surprise. I have openly (perhaps too openly at times) shared my Christmas memories in this space. Windshield time is thinking time and on the long drive home from our most recent Christmas get together I thought about, among many other ...