The Lifetime Angler
Some snapshots of a family and a fishing guide.
A longtime buddy with a healthy Sandhills bass.
A couple weeks ago Craig Dirrim texted me this photo and thanked me for yet another great experience in the Nebraska Sandhills. He also mentioned that he had hired me for a day or two of fishing for thirty-two consecutive years. "That has to be some sort of record, doesn't it?" he added. Yes, that seems like a pretty amazing record for a fishing guide.
Craig's question piqued my curiosity, so I dug through some old photo albums and found film camera shots of some of our first trips together. I didn't always carry a camera in the boat, but fortunately, I snapped enough in the early days to give you a photo journey of Craig and his family's growing up years.
Year three or four, sometime back in the 90's with Craig's wife and her parents.
Craig, showing off a pike's belly, bulging with a bluegill.
Then kids came along. Here's Anna on the right with her friend after a pretty intense day of perch fishing.
...and here's Anna a few years later.
Then there's Will, showing off a healthy Sandhills bluegill.
He also graduated to larger fish.
So the kids grew up, graduated from college, and are moving on with their own lives, leaving Craig and I to finish out our years alone again in the boat. Craig asked me how much longer that I plan to continue fish guiding. My answer was, "As long as I can still launch a boat." Who knows, maybe we will hit the magic forty consecutive years, which is sure to be an unbreakable record!
Craig and I a few years back, with a couple of healthy springtime bass.
