PRAYERS FOR THE KAYLERS
EDITOR ’ S NOTE
PRAYERS FOR THE KAYLERS
Inever met Nik Kayler , but in the days and weeks since he went missing at Lake Okeechobee on Jan . 4 during the Costa FLW Series event , followed by the six-day search that led to his body being recovered , I ’ ve felt no less grief than I would have felt had it been one of my own friends whose life was lost .
I guess the only explanation for the way I feel is that , though I didn ’ t know him , Nik is representative of so many people I love who spend so many days in the outdoors , pursuing their passions at the mercy of Mother Nature . In that regard , I guess you could say I know a lot of Nik Kaylers .
Even my own life has many parallels to Nik ’ s – father , husband , outdoorsman . How many times have I walked out the door on my way to go to a tournament , or to go hunting or fishing for fun , and taken for granted the goodbyes I ’ ve shared with my wife and daughter ? I think that ’ s the part that stings the most – the what-ifs .
Yet the pain is real , and the realization that this kind of thing can happen while participating in a sport we all love has been difficult for me to cope with . I know it has for many of you , too .
How do we move forward ? What ’ s next ? Many people have tried to speculate . I ’ m not prepared to do so , other than to say that safety , rightly so , will continue to be in the forefront of everyone ’ s mind as we progress through the season .
For now , we owe it to Nik and his family to honor his memory . He leaves behind a wife , Kelly , and daughter , Caralee . Please , if you ’ re a person of faith , pray for them . Send them well wishes . Contribute to the GoFundMe campaign that ’ s been set up to support them at gofundme . com / nik-kayler .
I think it ’ s also important that we thank the people who contributed thousands of man-hours in the search that led to Nik ’ s body being recovered . The list includes members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission , the U . S . Coast Guard , local law enforcement agencies in the Clewiston and Okeechobee area , and dozens of brave , selfless volunteers – anglers , Nik ’ s family and friends , even complete strangers – who performed a job that no one would ever wish to do . They ’ re all heroes .
To anyone who prayed for Nik , his family and the rescue crews during the search , thank you very much . I read your posts on social media , and they made me realize just how big this family of outdoorsmen really is , and how powerful we are when we stand together in the tough times . Keep it up .
I will never forget what happened over the course of those six days in south Florida . Nik ’ s loss will leave a scar that might never heal , but as a group I ’ m confident we ’ ll find a way to honor him and ensure a lasting legacy as we move forward together .
Curtis Niedermier , editor-in-Chief
Publisher Irwin L . Jacobs
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FLWFISHING . COM I February-MarCH 2018