“Look deep, and if you stare at the water long enough you’ll get your opportunity” – Boat Ramp Wisdom
Simple, yet profound, this advice was solicited from a fellow bow fisherman at the boat ramp. His craft was anchored to the dock at the same time we were pulling out. There was one big difference: he had a paddlefish laying in the bottom of his johnboat and I did not. I congratulated him on his catch and asked if he had any tips. That prose of wisdom was all he provided.
The allure of adventure and unknown drives me to try new pursuits. When I found out about Nebraska’s archery paddlefish season, I knew I had to give it go. After drawing a tag, I informed dad (Rod) that his boat and captain skills would be required. He agreed to join me, but kept asking, “Do you have a plan?” To which I replied, “We will figure it out.”
There is not a lot of information on “how to” pursue paddlefish with a bow. I read the regulations set by the Nebraska Game and Parks multiple times, watched a few YouTube videos, and drove up to the area prior to the season to familiarize myself with boat ramps, the river, and the general lay of the land. Other than that, it was going to be trial and error.
The original crew (consisting of Rod and Ethan) arrived mid-morning on a Friday. There were already 10 to 12 boats below Gavin’s Point Damn. We launched and headed over to join the fun.
When I saw a boat pull in a paddlefish, my confidence rose knowing I had a chance. I whacked a couple of gar to make sure I was shooting straight and the rest of the day was spent learning, watching, and waiting.
Cloud cover limited visibility in the water the next morning. After moving around to a couple of different spots we decided that my best option was to anchor and wait until a paddlefish surfaced. Soon the sun came out, and I was able to thump a big head carp and buffalo carp.
Every fish I brought in resulted in Rod complaining about getting blood in the boat. “Don’t get blood on there. We want to be blood free. I don’t want blood in my boat all over the carpet. I want it over the side or in that live well when you are working on it.” Despite the complaining, we did see some paddlefish, and everyone was having a good time.
Stephanie joined us that afternoon and the four of us headed back out. Minutes after arriving in the first spot a paddlefish surfaced right by the boat. Realizing what was happening I drew my bow, launched an arrow, and watched as my arrow flew over the paddlefish’s back. I just blew my best opportunity yet. I was down, and the comments from the peanut gallery didn’t help.
Every serious bow hunter has missed, and all I could do is crawl back up on the bow and keep doing what I needed to do.
For the next three hours, I stood on the bow, perched like an eagle gazing into the depths of the Missouri River. The vision of the recent miss still haunting the back of my mind.
Boat morale started to dwindle as the sun continued to lower itself towards the horizon in the west. A flash of silver caught my eye and I saw a long snout emerge from the water, I drew my bow and anchored as the prehistoric beast fully emerged, I shot sending my arrow into darkness and time stood still, if even for a microsecond, until I saw my orange line take off. “I got him” was all I said as my instincts kicked in and started to battle the fish.
The boat erupted into chaos as Rod, Stephanie and Ethan tried to figure out what was going on. By the time they realized I had connected with a paddlefish, I had it up to the side of the boat, reached overboard, and hauled in my catch.
Celebrations ensued as we all tried to wrap our minds around what just happened. I wanted that fish bad, and I think my dad wanted me to get one just as bad. After I tagged the fish, snapped some photos, and watched the video, six words stood out “I don’t care about the blood.”
How Does This Apply to Business
Whether you prefer “Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk” or “I Don’t Care About the Blood” the message is the same: don’t focus on the small stuff in life. If you watch the video you can hear Ethan say “Get the bait tank open” because he knows Rod doesn’t like it when I get blood in his boat. Rod replied “I don’t care about the blood.” In that moment, the memory we just created, was going to outlast any bloodstain on the carpet.
As I get older, I have learned to let things slide. I have received snarky emails, been thrown under the bus, and trusted people to get the job done and they didn’t come through. I cannot control other people’s actions, but I can control how I react. Trust me I want to fire off a nasty rebuttal, bring others down, and make it known when someone drops the ball. Negativity isn’t worth it, and after taking some time to reflect on the situation I realize that the little things that piss me off are minor road bumps in my pursuit to accomplish bigger goals.
So the next time you are worked up or become hell bent on revenge… remember Rod doesn’t care about blood in the boat, and you shouldn’t either.
Until next time remember…you are going to have to earn it.