Passing Down the Outdoors: TraditionEthics, and the Responsibility of a

Being an outdoorsman has always meant more to me than catching fish or harvesting game. It’s a part of our history, our family traditions, and the way values get passed down through generations. It’s early mornings before the sun breaks the horizon, quiet time on the water, and those small moments where life slows down enough to remember what matters.

That’s the part of the outdoors I never want to see slip away.

The Shift We’re Seeing

Today, everything gets shared instantly.

A fish hits the net ….and within minutes it’s online with the lake named and the background visible. Before the next day even starts, the spot is crowded and the pressure increases. Then the arguing starts, especially around forward-facing sonar. People point fingers at the technology and say it’s ruining fishing.

But here’s the truth:

It’s not a forward-facing sonar problem. It’s a sportsman’s ethics problem.

Technology doesn’t set our limits.

Technology doesn’t decide what we post.

We do.

Harvesting vs. Over-Harvesting

There are anglers taking legal limits day after day, sometimes all season long. Meanwhile, others share every detail of where, how, and what they caught ….without thinking about the impact on fish populations or the lakes they love.

That’s not how I was raised.

And it’s not how I want the next generation to learn.

The Guide Perspective

People sometimes say:

“Well, guides take fish too.”

Yes…….but my clients fish one or two days, take a legal limit, and go home.

They’ve invested time, fuel, license, and learning into a memory — not daily harvest.

Guiding, to me, is teaching:

• How to find fish

• How to read water

• How to use electronics responsibly

• How to respect the resource

The goal isn’t to pile fish … the goal is to grow anglers.

Stewardship Matters

We protect the tradition by honoring it:

• Take what you need, not everything you can.

• Know when to release a fish.

• Understand how pressure affects lakes.

• Be mindful when posting locations online.

• Remember the outdoors is a gift, not a guarantee.

the outdoors is not something we own.

It’s something we are trusted with.

Legacy

Families are built in boats.

Values are taught in quiet moments.

Memories are made in those shared sunrises and calm waters.

If we lose that ….

we lose more than fish.

We lose who we are.

Make memories. Teach the next generation. Respect the water.

The outdoors has given us a lot — it deserves something back.

Making memories one hookset at a time.