VOICES

Autumn anglers have a friend

When you need some good ole basic rod and reel fi shing advice you have a lot of sources, not the least of which is our helpful State Parks & Wildlife pros.

Add to that group your long-time personal fi shing buddy, maybe that agent you have come to like at the nearby sporting goods shop. You can even look beyond this circle, as I did, and discover someone in the neighborhood rumored to spend a lot of time wading lake shorelines or in casting from fi shing boats.

I discovered long time Westminster resident Don Goodman, a gentleman busy in his church with a “year around” fi shing calendar marked heavily with his numerous angling outings. Unlike many anglers, Don’s fi shing season does not end with the summer season. He is not one that stores his rods when the aspens turn gold, and the fall chill of winter settles in the foothills and along the Front Range.

“December is the slow, quiet month for me,” Don stated. He patiently waits for summer lake waters to cool and ice over. December is a good month for Don to tackle the angling gear repairs and check out fi shing catalogs and sporting goods shops for the latest new fi shing gear and technology. Don frequents both cold water mountain lakes and warm water eastern slope reservoirs year around. His choice of lake baits includes night crawlers, liver, or sucker meat, fi shed off the bottom of the lake in a slow and varied jigging action. Carefully selected lures are equally popular in Don’s tackle boxes. Both are activated in slower movements to match the slower movement of the fi sh in the colder winter water temperatures. Don uses similar gear and seeks out similar water depths and environments in both summer and winter.

“To offset slower movement of fi sh in colder water I slow my speeds jigging or drifting.” he confi rmed.

Don pursues fi sh at both eastern lakes like Jackson Lake, Boyd Lake, Pueblo Reservoir and Aurora Reservoir, and high-country mountain lakes alike in South Park and Grand County. He enjoys exceptional success at Sandpiper, Blue Heron, and Coot ponds at the St. Vain State Park ponds near the Longmont-I-25 exit. Closer into the mountains he enjoys success at Evergreen, Chatfi eld, and Bear Creek Reservoirs, both are younger waters with closer destinations.

“I have learned the challenge and value of matching, sometimes experimenting, the baits to lake depths and temperatures as the season moves into the early spring. Don encourages this process and has found the result productive to his catching success. Studying a lake for habitat, structure and plant growth is essential. Equally helpful is the fact this process leads an angler to where the fi sh are schooled.

South Park area reservoirs Antero and Eleven Mile, near the town of Fairplay, tends to attract Don early in the spring. An infl uencing factor are due primarily to the shallower depths and a faster warming of the water.

Don takes an active role in big fi sh challenges. His choice waters in the high mountain waters are Granby Reservoir and Willow Creek Reservoirs in Grand County and nearby Lake John near Walden.

“Lake trout, Larger mackinaw and mature rainbow and German Brown trout cruise deeper waters, normally at slower feeding times, requiring similar varied jigjig movements to attract the larger fi sh,” Don reminds us.

Bait and lure experimenting should be on our year around agenda whenever fi shing slows regardless of where we are fi shing. The popular and uncomplicated Mepps spinner or bright cast master with or without worms or sucker meat is a good example of one menu of choice for trout in the mountain lakes. Don is convinced there is a defi nite connection between a lakes natural bug species, aquatic growth, habitat and structure, and the angler’s lure types. Finding that connection is worth the study time.

Don’s confi dent presence takes on an excitement and big smile when you ask him about his recently awarded “Master Angler” award received last year from the Colorado Division of Parks & Wildlife. Don proudly landed a four-pound smallmouth bass, which comfortably exceeded the three plus pound smallmouth previously on record. The trophy was taken in late fall from an eastern plains warm water pond.

Don genuinely enjoys watching people pursue the sport of fi shing and to do so with success. And he suggests fi shing can really be a fun year-round experience.

OUTDOOR LIVING

Ron Hellbusch

Outdoorsman and Westminster resident Ron Hellbusch can be reached at Ron-Hellbusch Comcast.net

Maintaining the attitude of gratitude

The executive had put out a message out to his network that he was looking to hire top-performing salespeople for his team. While reconnecting with a former colleague, he also mentioned to her that he was looking for salespeople and asked that if she knew anyone, would she send them his way.

Within just a couple of hours she had sent him the name of someone she thought could possibly be a fi t. The two connected on LinkedIn and through email, eventually setting up an interview that would take place over a virtual Zoom call.

When the executive and the candidate met and made initial introductions, the executive noticed a picture of legendary Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi hanging on the wall behind the candidate. So before jumping into the interview he had asked him the story behind the picture. As the candidate shared his story about Vince Lombardi’s dedication, discipline and determination and how that inspired him, the executive could not help but smile. He shared that when he was in high school, he had written his term paper on Vince Lombardi, and he chose him for the very same reasons. They had already formed a bond. Unfortunately, as they began the interview, within about 15-20 minutes they both realized that the candidate wasn’t really a good fi t for the position. However, they stayed on the call for a little longer. The candidate shared that he was a single dad of two teenagers and was trying to fi nd the right position that would allow him to provide for his family.

They were saying goodbye when another topic came up and they had some small talk around that. The executive then asked the candidate to tell him a little more about what the perfect job would be that would get him excited to go to work every day. The candidate really loved coaching and training people and helping to develop both personally and professionally. The executive let him know that he would keep his ears and eyes open for any opportunities that sounded like a good fi t.

Again, just about to hang up, the executive asked one more question. He asked the candidate, “Is there something that I can pray about for you?” The candidate bowed his head for a good minute before lifting his watery eyes back to the screen. The candidate asked for prayers for his mom as she had cancer. The executive leaned in and said how sorry he was, pausing before asking one more question. He asked the candidate what kind of cancer his mom had. He bowed his head and once again took a moment to speak. As he shared that it was pancreatic cancer, his tears spilled down his cheeks.

The executive stopped and shared this, “This was never about a job interview, this was God’s interview. We were not connected to talk about any job, we were connected for a much greater purpose. My wife passed away in 2013 from pancreatic cancer. She fought for two and a half years, and I learned so much from that journey and experience and I am happy to share any of what I learned with you and your family. I am so very grateful that God planned this interview, and if you need or want anyone to talk to, I am here for you.” And then they prayed together.

Last week I talked about “More than just the attitude of gratitude,” and this week as we think about maintaining the attitude of gratitude beyond Thanksgiving, maybe we can be reminded to be grateful for those connections that are more than work-related, more than perfunctory types of calls. Maybe we can show our gratitude by leaning into those who are placed in our path and connecting with them at an entirely different level. I would love to hear your attitude of gratitude story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can show our gratitude at a deeply human level, it really will be a better than good life.

WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

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