Author’s Note: This is the second part of a 3-part series. If you missed Part 1, you can catch up here.
It was just after 3 p.m. on a cloudy Saturday afternoon when JT and I rolled-in to the boat launch at Baby Lake. It felt like deja vu as we once again encountered a lone vehicle without a a trailer behind it when made our way into the lot.
Continue reading “Feeling the love – Part 2”
My propensity for being a homebody is well-documented.
Not to get defensive about it or anything but, home is just an incredibly special place for me.
I’ve lived in Sheboygan Falls for almost my entire life and, though my town and surrounding community is relatively small, I have never had an issue with finding the appropriate doses of comfort and adventure here. So many of the people, places, memories, and things I hold dear are easily accessible and readily available in abundance.
But, throughout my life, I’ve also learned the importance of fresh surroundings. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to be a well-rounded person if you only stay within the confines of familiarity your entire life. Every once in a while, I force myself to ponder this truth.
Continue reading “Feeling the love – Part 1”
I am a strong advocate of conservation and caring for our natural resources.
As someone who has released over 97 percent of the fish I’ve caught in the last three years, I am constantly searching for ways to continue to improve the wellbeing of the fish I put back to swim another day. It’s important to remember that releasing a fish and releasing a fish safely are two different things.
Panfish make up a large percentage of my annual catch and, as most anglers can tell you, these fish can sometimes develop a nasty habit of swallowing hooks.
The only thing worse than having to cut lines and re-tie hooks is seeing a fish you intended to safely release splashing about on the surface because it was hooked too deep.
That’s why I was immediately intrigued when I was introduced to the Gill Shield, a product made right here in Wisconsin, that is billed as “a revolutionary way to prevent panfish from swallowing the hook.”
Continue reading “Gill Shield Review”
I am proud to announce that the paperback version my first book, “The Year of 500 Fish,” is now available on Amazon. You can buy it here.
Continue reading ““The Year of 500 Fish” is now available in paperback”
For those of us who fish, it seems we are always striving for more.
More fish. More big fish. More types of fish. More everything.
In a way, it’s only natural. More fish means more fun, right?
Personally, I spend a lot of time in the pursuit of improving the amount of consistent success I experience during my time on the water. The bulk of the fun resides in the never-ending chase and the progress that occurs along the way.
So how do you step up to the next level?
Continue reading “Want to get better at fishing? It’s in the details”
If you find yourself on this page, odds are, you have been one of my supporters for a long time.
Well, I am ecstatic to share that my first book, “The Year of 500 Fish,” is now available in ebook format on Amazon.
Continue reading ““The Year of 500 Fish” ebook is now available”
By now, most of you know that I am a numbers person.
The reason I can make that statement is that this annual recap of my outdoor adventures by the numbers is one of the more popular articles on this site each year.
2022 was a fantastic year for me as far as the outdoors are concerned. Here is a look back, by the numbers.
Continue reading “My 2022 outdoor adventures by the numbers”
It’s Episode 36 of The Nathan Woelfel Outdoors Podcast!
I’ll tell you all about catching fish No. 1,000 of the year and provide you with some background on my journey.
Continue reading “Nathan Woelfel Outdoors Podcast – Episode 36: Celebrating 1,000 fish in 2022”
Should you eat sheephead? The short answer is: you owe it to yourself to give them a try.
But it may not be for the reasons you think.
Continue reading “Why you should eat sheephead”
When my family and I find ourselves trolling the waters of Lake Michigan on warm summer evenings, we get a lot of time to chat.
A semi-frequent topic of conversation is an estimation of the actual odds of getting a fish on the end of our line.
We generally always land a couple of fish on our trips on the big pond. But, think about it: what are the chances that, in the vast expanse of 1 quadrillion (that’s 15 zeros) gallons of water, you manage to put a 5-inch-long lure in front of a hungry fish?
Let’s do some rough math. Each year, roughly 2 million king salmon are planted between Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan’s stocking efforts. Even if every one of those fish survives to maturity, that is only one king salmon per every 500 million gallons of water planted annually.
It’s kind of amazing that anyone ever catches anything.
Continue reading “Catching a miracle”
Nathan Woelfel Outdoors 