After much thought, I have decided it’s time to end a journalism career that spanned more than 50 years. Four of those decades included being an outdoors writer. At least two of those decades have been spent as the special outdoors columnist at The Lima News.
It’s literally been a wild ride at times. What could be more fun than to enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, birding and so many outdoor pursuits and get to write about them? Along the way, I’ve met so many outstanding individuals who could tell their stories and love of the outdoors that you the readers hopefully enjoyed.
Offering columns as a teaching tool via my own experience and others hopefully has helped you enjoy your outdoors pursuits and try different things. They also have been presented to help future generations to participate in the outdoors.
Notes or stories on professionals in the outdoors world have given readers an insight to what kind of job biologists, wildlife officers, etc. do to better serve you as an outdoors enthusiast. Other columns were offered for your reading enjoyment.
I was fortunate to have worked for newspapers that thought the outdoors is an important subject to be covered. It isn’t that way anymore as journalism has changed.
I was encouraged by assistant publisher Steve Dix while sports editor of The Crescent-News in Defiance to write an outdoors column. He and leadership at Dix News Media knew the importance of the outdoors in their newspapers. Years later I was asked by now retired editor Jim Krumel to do a column for The Lima News. Fortunately, I was able to do one for each paper and then continue to write one for The Lima News when I retired from the Defiance paper.
My first column actually had something to do with the Lima area. I had been asked by an Ohio Division of Wildlife biologist to come along on an electrofishing boat in the Maumee River during the annual spring walleye run in 1981. I was amazing to see “shocked” fish come to the surface and DOW personnel net walleye for “milking” purposes. Biologists stripped eggs from females, put them in a pan and then took a male and artificially fertilized the eggs. The eggs were then put in coolers, transported to Findlay where they were picked up by the St. Marys Fish Hatchery where they would hatch in 10-12 days.
I was hooked and a weekly outdoor column ensued covering a multitude of subjects through the years from fishing with my kids for bluegills in a farm pond to fly fishing the famed Two-Hearted and Au Sable rivers in Michigan and landing salmon in Lake Michigan.
I participated in bass fishing tournaments as a member of a local bass club and have written extensively about Lima area bass pros who fish on higher levels than I have. What a great group they are.
I was able to see wildlife up close during some of my exploits such as being able to release a wild turkey when the DOW began doing that in northwest Ohio. I’ve come face-to-face with a red fox while walking in the Oxbow Lake Wildlife area and seen mink and beaver along different waters. I’ve spooked a coyote while walking to a blind when bow hunting for deer.
I still think cooking over a wood campfire gives you some satisfaction and a foil pack meal is one to really savor.
I’m still amazed and impressed every time I see a bald eagle. Seeing thousands of sandhill cranes in fall migration has left an awesome memory. Birding in general has given me a different perspective on wildlife whether its the smallish warblers during their spring migration or various waterfowl sighted during spring and fall migration.
I actually waded or swam in each of the Great Lakes. Fortunately, I am able to spend a lot of time around Lake Erie.
There are so many lasting impressions from my years as an outdoors writer, and I plan on making more while traversing woods and waters.
I’m looking forward to the spring bird migration just a few weeks away. I plan on fooling fish on a fly; swimming small and large jigs, pitching tubes, jigs, worms to bass hidden in brush and “walking the dog” with a Zara Spook for bass as well. I also will continue to hike and enjoy the environment. My camping days are over, but I still enjoy sitting around a fire ring.
One thing I will miss is sharing some of my exploits with you.
Read previous Al Smith outdoors columns
Al Smith can be contacted at [email protected]. Al Smith wrote this colum for LimaScores.com and can be contacted at [email protected].
