Dale Collis
Geez, this old fisherman and his lovely wife, Sharon, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on April 16th. Sharon should be awarded a trophy and a trip to Paris for sticking it out all these years. Lorna and I attended their reception. The line was huge with most everyone there to congratulate Sharon. Dale was a former science teacher and coach. He taught with Lorna at the Galva High School. Lorna always admired Dale, but I have no idea why? He and I used to go fishing together in our younger days. I think he must be about 110 years old now, but he looks much older. I have picked on Dale in this column for a lot of years and he deserved it. I’m not sure which of us will first meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, but if it’s me, I’ll deny knowing him. So, in the future if I mention Dale in one of my jokes, well, you will know who I am talking about.
Dale “Double Barrel”
I’m not mentioning Dale’s last name, but we’ve been friends for a long time. He recently called me the other day. He had just got out of the hospital and had some heart surgery. Happily, he is on the road to recovery. Yay, to the medical profession! We talked a long time about the good old days and how our age is catching up with us. Our hunting days in South Dakota are now fond memories. But, hey, all of us can still make a few new memories before it’s check-out time.
D.C.
I was asked not to say his name, but “DC” has been a big contributor to the Geneseo Izaak Walton League’s Youth Fishing Derby. He recently sent us a nice check to help with prizes for the kids. The derby is June 10th and I’ll have more information as we get closer to the event. Anyway, thanks “DC” for your support.
Rare Bird
In all my many years I have only seen one Pileated Woodpecker, well, until last week! I heard this loud “yuck-yuck-yuck” and a change in pitch. There it was, the largest of the woodpecker family in a nearby tree. It was beautiful. Wish he would have stayed longer.
Fishing
While trout fishing was excellent, I’m now into the panfish mode for bluegills and crappies. I haven’t had much luck so far, but it’s early yet. I have not tried Gunslinger’s place on Rock River because of the high water. Sometimes fishing from his shoreline can be good for channel cats.
Pete Chodera
This nice fellow recently passed away. He was a faithful member of the Geneseo Izaak Walton League until health issues. One of many things Pete enjoyed was writing poetry. He was really good at it.
Outdoor Photos
As a reminder, if you have a recent photo of you and/or a family member holding a nice fish or wild turkey, send it to: deboonelr@aol.com. It’s always nice to see what other anglers are catching in Henry County.
Outdoor Trivia
Let’s see how smart you are? Of course, you’re reading this column so what does that say about your I.Q? 1) Baby squirrels are called kittens. T or F. Sheep snore. T or F. 2) Fish can learn more quickly than dogs. T or F. 3) Mosquitoes have teeth. T or F. 4) Glen Anderson is for the birds. T or F. 5) Cats have 4 rows of whiskers. T or F. (Answers below)
Misguided Belgian
When Tom Vandemore was over in London he was looking at “Big Ben.” He asked another tourist, “So, when does the cuckoo bird come out?
Jokes
Why did the cows return to the marijuana field? A. It was the pot calling the cattle back. What do you call an Irishman bouncing off the wall? A.“Rick o’ Shay.” This morning Lorna hit me with her rental car. It really Hertz!! The bags under my eyes were so big that United charged me for them. The meaning of the word Internet. What fish never do when you are trying to land it. (Trivia: All true)