Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2022 | Week 8/52 | Winter
Feb 20, 2022
Field Notes from Jess
Rewilding 2022 Week 8/52 | Ice Fishing, A love story
This last weekend I returned to the very location where my Rewilding journey began 2-years ago. My first experience pulling a fish up from the water was with a very intuitive and successful angler, Scott Turner with @silhouetteoutdoors on Lake Cascade in Idaho (Valentine's Day 2020). In that month dedicated to romance, I fell in love with fishing and I was enamored with the beautiful yellow jumbo perch of this lake.
Once I experienced field to table, and bringing a fresh catch home to make fish tacos, my life took a dramatic turn. Since that weekend, my love for dropping lines has taken me to Alaska, Mexico, California, Oregon, Idaho and of course my hometown of Washington in which I've fished saltwater creatures from the jetty and reeled in beautifully colored trout from the lakes. These epic adventures have introduced me to over 25 different species of handsome fish. My deepest gratitude to Scott for teaching me the ways of a fish whisperer. Every time I set the hook, I light up like a woman being asked to two-step at a summer barn dance.
To return to Cascade Lake felt like an opportunity to reflect and observe how far I have come. Flying over with my own gear, tying my knots, baiting my own lines and processing the fish to get a nice filet lit a fire in me. It is never to late to learn anything that brings passion into your life.
As we close out February and reflect on a month that has been commercially hijacked in the name of romance, wishing you all your own love story that is sourced from within. Cheers to all of our beating hearts and our commitment to nurturing our relationship with the wild.
