Anticipation Grows As Fishing Opener Draws Near

Fishing license…check!   New line spooled on the reels…check!   Tacklebox cleaned and decluttered…check!   Boat taken out of storage inspecting all critical components for operation…check!   Boat trailer serviced ensuring against any unpleasant surprises while driving to the lake…check!   Trip to local sporting goods store purchasing the latest gizmos and gadgets for fishing fun…check!   Snacks for munching on between fishing bites…check!

Indeed, with the Minnesota Fishing Opener just days away these are some busy, yet exciting times for Minnesota’s anglers.   In fact, often times the preparation phase leading up to the big day can be nearly as much fun as the opening day itself.

Whether plans are to drive just a few miles to the lake, or perhaps driving several hours northbound, the Minnesota Fishing Opener represents a much celebrated event for sportsmen located in all corners of our state.   For many of us, taking part in this annual piscatorial ritual is often even more important than catching a stringer full of walleye.

It’s about family and friends getting together after a long winter to renew a kindred outdoor spirit.   Oh sure, the goal is always to catch ‘ol glass eyes and to savor the fishy odor left on your hands…but during the opener “catching” fish is only part of the equation that measures a successful outing.   The other factor is simply sharing a boat or cabin with special friends who also cherish the annual spring fishing tradition.

Perhaps no other state in the country can claim what Minnesota has going for it.   Sure, other states have opening days of their fishing seasons, but in Minnesota when nearly a million anglers take to the waters on one single day…hey, now that’s something special.   Especially, considering that Minnesota is so geographically diverse that an angler near Faribault might be swatting mosquitoes during the day, while another angler near International Falls might still be navigating the boat around ice.

IMG_2965To many of us the tradition of taking part in the Minnesota Fishing Opener dates back to our childhoods.   Often, it was an experience such as the fishing opener that baptized a young child into the outdoor world.   Even decades later, the act of heading to the lake can still hold as much intrigue and excitement as it once did during those earlier years of life.

No doubt there are families and friends throughout Minnesota eager for the 2009 walleye fishing season to open statewide.   Some might claim the event signals the true arrival of spring here in Minnesota.   Others might use the event as nothing but an excuse to escape the usual chores associated with life.   No matter what the reason for participating, when the clock strikes midnight on Friday night the waiting ends and the fishing fun officially begins.

Let’s see.   Lake maps…check!   Personal flotation devices…check!   Landing net…check!   Camera…check!   Rainwear…check!   Polarized sunglasses…check!   Coffee thermos…check!   That’s it, let’s finally get this 2009 Minnesota walleye, sauger, northern pike and lake trout fishing seasons underway.

© 2009 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

The Guns Vs. Shoes Economic Model

If you’ve ever taken a college level macroeconomics class you’ve surely heard the concept of guns vs. butter.   In a nutshell, this analogy simplifies the choice between defense spending and civilian spending when explaining economic theory.   Obviously spending on guns would be for the military while allocating dollars for butter would indicate the polar opposite choice of civilian spending.

Well, this blog is certainly not going to get any deeper into economic theory of this kind.   Heaven forbid.   In fact, the model I intend to explain to you is something more akin to how it works in my family.   A perfect example of which happened on Thursday while out shopping with my wife.   I dare say the economic model in our household would be aptly named “Guns vs. Shoes.”   Let me explain.

After having a nice lunch with my sweetie we both decided to do some shopping.   Of course, I opted for the nearby Cabela’s as my destination of choice…my wife, well, she chose to go to the nearby Kohls store to complete her shopping experience.   It was a blissful arrangement as we both went our separate ways shopping at the store that makes us feel most fulfilled.

Okay, here’s where the economics comes into play.   When she dropped me off at the Cabela’s entrance she told me she would be back to pick me up at 3pm.   Great!   That gave me about 75 minutes of uninterrupted shopping.   After having perused the entire store, I ended up at the gun counter and was dickering on a particular gun with the salesman.   I contemplated the purchase, but as I looked down at my watch I seen the time was 2:55pm.   Dang!   My wife will be here in five minutes to pick me up.   There’s no time to complete all the paperwork for the gun transaction.   I guess buying a gun on this day just wasn’t meant to be.

Lo and behold the phone rings.   Guess who…yup, it’s my sweetie begging me for a little more time at her chosen shopping destination.   I politely told her I was ready to check out, but if she needed 1/2 hour longer to try on some more shoes she should go for it.   She thanked me for my patience.

As I slipped the cell phone back into my pocket I looked up at the store clerk and said, “let’s get that paperwork started.   Looks like I now have the time.”   I found myself completing the purchase of a new Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, a nice unit I had been eying up for some time.

You see, in my household the wife and I have this economic understanding.   Whenever I get the urge to buy a gun…she counteracts that by scratching her itch to buy some shoes.   Seems like a perfectly logical tradeoff to me.   She claims I have more guns than I need, and when I look into our closet I see more pairs of shoes than one person can possibly wear in a lifetime.

Indeed, on Thursday we both came home with smiles on our faces.   It seems the Guns vs. Shoes economic model played itself out perfectly once again.   Of course, I had to explain to her that I wasn’t planning on purchasing a gun…but with all that extra shopping time on my hands I had to spend it wisely.   What else was a guy to do?

© 2009 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

Stay Tuned…Some Exciting News Coming Soon!

Dear Blog Readers,

   In a few short months this blog will turn 5–years old, and for that fact I am extremely proud.   Granted, I haven’t been the most prolific in making new blog posts over the past few years, but I guess marriage and having a new baby in the household tends to tie up one’s available time just a bit.   Still, I consider outdoors blogging to be a very important part of my life.

   With that said, in just days I will be announcing a new outdoors blog venture about which I am extremely excited.   Rest assured, the Sportsman’s Blog will continue to exist, but some of my future blogging efforts will also be done in a whole new venue.   I suspect the announcement will “officially” be made sometime later next week when all the final details become available.

   In the meantime, I want to take this opportunity to once again THANK all my loyal blog readers.   You all know who you are…and if you’ve been leaving comments I know who many of you are, too.   A person doesn’t stick with blogging for this long without knowing there are folks who actually read and care about what a blogger is attempting to communicate.   Indeed, I have always felt as though my writing efforts were warmly received, and to each of you I extend my deepest gratitude.

   Thanks again!

Jim Braaten