PUBLISHER’S LETTER
By Pat Hoglund
An Appreciation
T
HE OTHER DAY I WAS listening
to Joe Maddon’s press conference
as he was introduced as the new
manager of the Chicago Cubs. He
talked about making the playoffs. He talked
about his baseball philosophy. He talked
about how excited he was to manage the
Cubbies and in doing so he referenced a
game when he was manager of the Tampa
Bay Rays, who were playing the Cubs at
Wrigley Field. After replacing a pitcher he
was walking back to the dugout when the
beauty of the ballpark and the atmosphere
struck him. He talked about the famous ivy,
the stadium lights and the fans. It was at that
moment that he stopped himself and took in
the beauty of playing in one of professional
sports’ most storied ballparks.
“There are times when I tell myself to shut
up and watch what’s going on and observe
and really appreciate the moment,” he told a
throng of reporters.
Whether you’re at a major league ballpark
or fishing in some faraway place I would
think that’s pretty good advice. And it’s
something we constantly need to remind
ourselves of, because too often we get caught
up in catching fish and how many we catch
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and how big (or small) they are. I know I
find myself not knowing when to shut up.
This past summer I spent four days fish-
ing for salmon with Phil Dawson of Legacy
Lodge in Rivers Inlet. We were on the hunt
for one of those big tyees Rivers is famous
for. We were at the head of the inlet when
I hooked up with a big fish. It took some
effort to get the rod from the holder and
come tight to the fish. It was what we were
looking for: a trophy Chinook. Or so we
thought. It fought like a big salmon, and
it took as long to land as a big salmon, but
when I pulled the fish close to the boat it
was a halibut. Not just any halibut — an
80-pound halibut. Quite frankly, I was a lit-
tle disappointed. I’d spent a lot of time and
energy focusing on catching a 50-pound
salmon. To my surprise, this salmon was
brown and white and flat. So much for a
Rivers Inlet tyee.
It didn’t really register with me until I
got back to the lodge. I had other guests
jokingly ask to trade my halibut for their
salmon. It was at that moment I told myself
to shut up and listen and appreciate the
moment, the here and the now. And once
checked my expectations my fishing trip
The author with a hook nose Northern coho
from Rivers Inlet.
was nothing short of bliss.
I had my son Peter with me and we had
flown from Vancouver, British Columbia
to Rivers Inlet in a Grumman G-21 Goose.
Peter flew in the co-pilot seat and I watched
him take in the country that unfolded before
his eyes. We were spending four days fishing
in one of nature’s own cathedrals, a cornu-
copia of wildlife, rugged landscape, emerald
blue water and off-the-charts salmon fishing.
Today I couldn’t tell you how many fish
we caught, except to say it was a lot. What I
remember most are the slew of hook-nosed
northern coho we caught each day as the
dinner bell rang at the lodge. I remember the
fog settling over the inlet each afternoon, the
30-minute boat ride to the head of the chan-
nel each morning, the humpback whales that
corralled balls of bait fish and the air push-
ing from their spouts. I can still picture the
eagles waiting patiently on their perch for a
fish to show itself. It’s the sunny days I re-
member. It’s the cribbage games my son and
I played in the lodge. It’s the people I met
and the friendships I forged. It was spending
four days in a boat with Phil and feeding off
his energy his passion for fishing is what I re-
member. And it took an 80-pound halibut to
give me a reality check. For that I’m thank-
ful. Were that fish a salmon I might have lost
sight of what really is important.
My advice is to learn from my halibut
experience. Yeah, I know, easier said than
done. Maybe this summer will be your first
fishing vacation. Or maybe your second or
third or fourth. Or possibly your twentieth
trip. Regardless, you’re about to embark on
a fishing trip where catching is often the end
game. Instead of focusing on how many, or
how big or small, or what specie, heed the
advice of one of most charismatic managers
in Major League Baseball: shut up and watch
what’s going on and observe and really ap-
preciate the moment.