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Podcast by a Panhandle Surf Angler for all anglers of any level. We will talk weekly to guests that are anglers and also industry professionals. I want you to walk away from this podcast with some knowledge either refreshed or new for you to become a better angler. Though it will start in the Panhandle of Florida, it will be around the entire United States so we can all learn something about fishing in different regions.
Speaker 1 (00:00:00):
This episode of Finding the Most Surf Fishing is being brought to by Ninja Tackle. Ninja Tackle va dot com's. A website to go take a look at to get your hands on excellent rods reels, rigs bait. And if you need to get yourself into, I don't know if you're a firearm person, they got firearm accessories. That's right. If you need some optics Oh yeah. Hard to find parts. He's actually got 'em. Lots of cool stuff there on the old Ninja tactical side. So go over to ninja tackle va.com. Take a look. If you got questions, reach out to Matt. He'll help you out. And, uh, get your order in today. You won't be sad.
Speaker 1 (00:01:04):
Hello, happy world. Hope you're doing well. Wherever you are, fishing's been phenomenal. Things are just going the right way. 'cause that is the good stuff. This week we are taking the digital plane, uh, inland. We're going up to Minnesota, and I can never say it's straight faced. Hey. Yeah, I'm a turd. I'm sorry, . Um, but yeah, we're heading up to Minnesota and we're gonna be talking with a fellow marine friend of mine, uh, about his organization. Memories Made Outdoors. He's part of this great group. Lots of cool stuff with that. So, a little background before I bring him on. Ryan and I served together in the Marine Corps. We both did a lot of the same jobs. We, we've, we've, we've had some good times. And when he told me he was a part of this, I was like, well, that's freshwater. I suck at freshwater.
Speaker 1 (00:01:48):
He's like, dude, shut up. Come on up here. Uh, I will put you on fish. And yet, I still haven't gone yet keyword yet. But, uh, the organization from the stuff that I've seen and heard from Ryan, is doing really phenomenal things and has nothing but amazing growth potential. So, if this is one of those, uh, things where you're like, what am I gonna learn today? You are, you're gonna learn something cool, not only about Ryan, but the organization and, uh, the mission that they're doing. So without further ado, me flapping my gibs, welcome to the show, buddy.
Speaker 2 (00:02:19):
Thanks for having me, boss. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:02:22):
I appreciate you coming on and traveling all the way from Cali back up there doing all this. You got a whole bunch of stuff going on. And dude, you, you've always said, like, I always thought the Minnesota thing was a, I don't wanna say a passing thing, but you have made it sound so good over the years. You're like, dude, you gotta see this place other than St. Paul where we pulled in for deployment flights. But I mean, you, you've always said, come up here. It's, it's pretty.
Speaker 2 (00:02:46):
Yeah, you definitely gotta get out of the city to really get the, uh, the Minnesota experience. Um, I, I brought guys up here, uh, deer hunting probably four or five years in a row now. And, uh, they're all, all like, you know, pr pretty, pretty blown away. You know, is this paradise? No, I mean, to me it is. Right? Um, you know, it's, uh, I've always preferred a little cooler climate. I'm a little fluffier than I was in when I was in the Marine Corps. So, cooler is better. Can't stand the heat, just can't do it. Burn me out in Iraq, you know, or, uh, yeah, a hundred and whatever gripes. Uh, so the, the cooler temps definitely agree with me. And, uh, and I'm here probably six times a year, uh, whether it's for my farm, uh, operation now. Uh, it'll be, um, coinciding with the memories made, outdoors events, the ones that I can make, you know, I still have my real estate business in California, um, and a handful of other, um, ventures, if you will, out there. So I, I stay pretty busy. There's not much time to kill, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:03:50):
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, what's, what's time off? It's overrated.
Speaker 2 (00:03:53):
Yeah. I mean, I, you know, I, I never get rid of this thing, you know, the phone's constantly on, you know, I, I was moving hay bales over in, uh, my dad's field yesterday, uh, with the skid loader. And I don't know, I think I had to sh I had to, I had to throttle it down and stop at least a dozen times, taking calls or whatever, you know, it's, uh, but it's dynamic. Keeps me busy, keeps me young.
Speaker 1 (00:04:15):
The important part right there
Speaker 2 (00:04:17):
Distracts me from all the injuries and the pain and the tinnitus, which my ears are ringing like hell right now. So, you know, ,
Speaker 1 (00:04:25):
Dude, it's the worst. 'cause it's like one ear, and then it's just wean. You're like, ah, what the hell? And you just kind of, and then it fades off and holds, and then all of a sudden the other, the left side goes, what did I do? Why, why did this happen today?
Speaker 2 (00:04:37):
It's just great, especially in like, restaurants or crowded, you know, I've taught myself to read lips, like I think most of us probably have. Um, it gets a little awkward sometimes when folks don't know that you're, you know, you're hearing is terrible and you're staring at their mouth, mouth, like, what the hell's wrong with you? Nah, I'm reading your lips. Don't, I don't just, you know, just let it happen
Speaker 1 (00:04:56):
With the furled eyebrows,
Speaker 2 (00:04:57):
Right? Oh,
Speaker 1 (00:04:58):
Yeah. Yeah. . Well, let's start at the beginning for you here before we move into the organization, and let's talk about this. 'cause you've always been an outdoors person. You've, numerous times have told me about that. Even when we were in, you were telling me about it, and you've invited me up deer hunting several times and fishing for all that. But let's go into the earlier one for you. Tell us your story and what got you into fishing?
Speaker 2 (00:05:18):
Um, my, my dad took me, well, I think I was 4, 4, 4 or five years old. And just the anticipation of, you know, then it was the bobber, right? The bobber going down. Um, and just being out in, in, uh, in nature, it just, it, it always agreed with me and I just kind of kept doing it. And then I was introduced to ice fishing, and I was probably seven or eight. That's a whole different world, right? Um, some folks . Yeah. Like Jason Perry. I had him up here, 2020, uh, and Jason Short as well. And Kevin Harley was here for that too. And, um,
Speaker 1 (00:05:58):
Oh, geez, that's a hell of a group to get together.
Speaker 2 (00:06:01):
Oh, yeah, yeah. And yeah, Jason Perry, of course, lived up. He was, we weren't on, we weren't on the ice six, uh, 60 minutes. And he had already approached committing a felony. Um, you know, like, you can't steer that fish, bro. Yeah, that's the one, uh, that's the one species you can't, well, one of the species, you can't, it's gotta be in northern. You can't, you can't spear muske, my man. I don't care if it's 55 inches. Yeah, you can't spear it. .
Speaker 3 (00:06:26):
Oh my God, yes. Oh, yes. ,
Speaker 1 (00:06:30):
You can't see him over the hole, right?
Speaker 2 (00:06:33):
It's like, no, dude, no Uhuh, Uhuh. That's, uh, that's a $10,000 fine. Probably some jail time. Uh, and they might even throw you outta the state. But, uh, yeah, that was it, you know? Um, and then, you know, when I was old enough to, you know, kind of be motoring around myself, me and my, uh, my best friend, um, uh, Dustin Carlson as a chiropractor, and, uh, and to twin, twin cities there, you know, we'd go, we'd we'd go out in the pontoon fishing all night long, you know? And, uh, um, it was always a blast. You know, we, we never, uh, I mean, never really got skunked or anything. Overnight fishing was really kind of a trip, because you never know what you're gonna catch. You know, we were northern fishing, uh, and wildlife fishing on this rock bear, and, uh, ended up catching about a six and a half pound small moth bass.
Speaker 2 (00:07:17):
Wow. Yeah, dude, that thing, those things are like one big bicep. They fight like hell. And, uh, I thought it was, I thought it was a muskie, but, uh, no, there he was. Yeah, he was, it was a good time. But yep, that's kind of my, my fishing deal. And I've been to Canada a couple times, which is absolutely unreal. Um, that'll ruin you. I didn't, uh, I went to 97 to, uh, Russell Lake, Saskatchewan, talk about sick and tired, sick to nauseum of catching 15 pound northern pike, like just over it. Never. I didn't fish for a year after I came back from that trip. Oh, geez. So it was like, it was wild. Uh, and then I went again in, uh, in 2018 and in, uh, Ontario and had a similar, uh, similar experience, but this time it was walleyes, sick and tired. One dude, we went to this rock bar, this guy, he was counting the fish. We got there about nine by 11:00 AM He had a hundred fish in the boat. I mean, released them all. Holy crap. He had, he, he landed a hundred walleye in, in two hours.
Speaker 1 (00:08:18):
That's, that's not fishing.
Speaker 2 (00:08:20):
No, it's not . So,
Speaker 1 (00:08:24):
Wow. Okay. That would've been, yeah, that, that's one of those epic ones that are forever Ed. Nice.
Speaker 2 (00:08:30):
Yeah. And I've always kind of been lucky that way too. Like that, that specific morning. The only reason we left was because, uh, left the spot was I, I hooked a 27 pound northern lip lip hooked her. Um, thank God, because I didn't have a leader. Uh, it was just a direct tie jig head with, uh, with a leach on it. And, um, there's a video. I posted it on TikTok. It's one of my only viral videos I've, I've posted. And, uh, it was about 12 minute fight, 15 maybe. Just exhausted my forearms, you know, I, you know, a, a a a, a tiny little, you know, rod, maybe a medium flex rod and, uh, six pound test, no liter . And she's just taken line and taken line and taken line and is back and forth. And by the end of that, I was legitimately exhausted. My forearms were shot, were cramping. Um, and then, you know, so done that, um, you know, walleye fishing, uh, caught that, um, hey, quit it. My mom's cat is on the couch behind me. Hey, God,
Speaker 1 (00:09:35):
Stop.
Speaker 2 (00:09:37):
, um, caught a muskie. Uh, a the biggest fish I've ever caught was probably a 52 inch muskie the day before I graduated high school. You know, I just always kind of been lucky that way. Um, so it's, uh, it's never a dull moment, for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:09:52):
Nice, dude. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun. All right, so now you nailed it out. What, what's your favorite thing about fishing?
Speaker 2 (00:10:01):
Um, it's the space. It's all, you know, it's being out in the open space, uh, you know, just, just listening, right. Um, to, to nature around you. And then obviously, you know, getting, getting absolutely hammered, you know, uh, uh, by, uh, by a, by a fish when you're not expecting it. Or, you know, the anticipation of what you know, the possibilities. And, um, testing out new, new theories and, and, um, and approaches different, uh, different rigs, different setups. 'cause fishing's changed quite a bit up here since, you know, I joined the Marine Corps in 99. And, um, you know, the, uh, the advancements in some of the tech is just wild. Oh, yeah. Um, like, I had no idea what a talon was. It's one of those automatic, uh, you know, the, Hey, Teddy stop. I get the dog too. Um, , you know, it's like a, it's a telescoping anchor system, like, just, just crazy. So, you know, it's probably old, old, old tech to some guys, but just, you know, being brought, uh, up to speed on what, what guys are doing and, and, and how they're doing it with, uh, with the new tech and the, and the new toys. It's just, uh, you know, it's, it's an education every time.
Speaker 1 (00:11:16):
Yeah. It seems like every week if we really wanted to, somebody's got some new invention or new piece. Um, there's actually one I'm gonna talk to you about offline. I can't say it on the podcast yet, uh, unfortunately. But there's something that's coming out that might get you, you, you might really love this thing. Um, but so talking about with those, now you've nailed a lot and you've done a lot of Phish, and Fresh has always been, I mean, how kitchen a monster like that 52 and, and bigger, that, that's hard to tap. Uh, what's a bucket list fish for you one day to like, I will catch this.
Speaker 2 (00:11:54):
Uh, I still, the, the, the big chase up here is, um, the kind of, the trifecta is a 30 inch walleye. Um, is, is a, is a check in the box. Um, a 40 inch pike. I've got the 50 muskie, um, probably I'd say a great big Laker lake trout. Um, or maybe like a, like a 15, maybe an 18 inch croppy, you know, a three pound croppy. Those things are, are are
Speaker 1 (00:12:26):
A unicorn.
Speaker 2 (00:12:27):
Pretty, yeah, they're pretty underrated for, I mean, guys, fish for 'em, people fish for 'em. They're, and they're great eating. Um, but they're not necessarily sought after. Um, you know, like large mals bass fishing up here isn't, I mean, there's some tournaments in that, but guys don't, generally, you know, it's not like in the south or it's like, oh, we're going fishing for, you know, big, big hunker, uh, hun hunker bass. And it's just not a thing here. You know, guys are going after walleyes, that's, that's the chase, um, or, uh, or pike. Um, and then, uh, in the rivers, some guys are, are really big into sturgeon fishing. You know, I, I don't have any desire to catch a dinosaur. I don't need to catch a sturgeon. Right. Um, you know, but yeah, I'd have to say it's probably a Laker, you know, the, I'm still chasing the 40 inch Northern, uh, the one in Canada was 39 and three eights
Speaker 1 (00:13:18):
. Oh, rude.
Speaker 2 (00:13:21):
Uh, and she was fat. Like, I've got pretty good size hands. I couldn't, I could not grab, pick her up from the center of her body. It was, I couldn't get a grip on her 'cause she was that fat that wide. Um, so yeah, I'd have to say probably like a, like a 50 plus pound or like lake trout, something like that would probably be, well, I've never done it before. And I've, I've seen guys, you know, some of the videos, ice fishing and, you know, they got an ultralight little ice fishing rod, and they're fighting this absolutely behemoth of a lake trout. And, uh, and they're, they're having to cut, they're having to drill holes next to the hole that they've got to get the bastard outta the, onto the water. So
Speaker 1 (00:14:04):
I, I will say, and this is something, 'cause you told me this, um, I think we were talking about pike a while back, and you were talking about rocking in with five six pound test, and I'm like, they're, those are bigger than five pounders. I mean, these are honking fish.
Speaker 2 (00:14:21):
Yeah. You don't go out there, you don't go out there looking for 'em with that kind of setup, No. It just happens. So,
Speaker 1 (00:14:26):
But when you told me that, it actually, you, you taught me a good lesson on this, and I've really, I've, I've used it more, especially in saltwater. Um, and other people have given me some other ones. I'm like, Hey, yeah, I learned this from my buddy Ryan drag manipulation and patience that you can do some stupid stuff with light line if you have the right temperament for it.
Speaker 2 (00:14:47):
Yeah. It's, um, you know, so like, the bait casting reels are not my favorite thing. Um, I like the open face, uh, spinning reels that way that drag set is right on the end of the spool, so you can, you can do what you gotta do in a hurry. Um, and they've just always been, uh, you know, I, I, I don't have the I patience for the Bay caster. I get one bird's nest, and that thing's going in the water. Oh,
Speaker 1 (00:15:10):
Yeah, we're done.
Speaker 2 (00:15:11):
Yeah. Bye-Bye. Uh, so yeah, it's the, the drag, the drag piece is absolutely, um, uh, it's hugely important, especially when you're, when you get into a situation like that and you, it's a, it's stress man. You know, it's like I'd equate it to, and having been in both environments where, you know, uh, the big voice comes on and we're hauling to the, uh, oh yeah. Uh, to the bunkers and all that in, uh, Kuwait and Iraq or whatever. Um, but that, that's, that's the kind of, uh, adrenaline dump when your, you know, your, your, your rod just starts singing and you're like, oh God, uh, oh. You know, don't lose it. Don't lose it. Don't lose it.
Speaker 1 (00:15:50):
That that part right there, like, oh crap, don't dare get off there.
Speaker 2 (00:15:54):
Please don't snap. Right? I'm like, the person that goes through my mind is, oh, I don't think I've changed a line on this rod or this reel in four years. So, got that going for me. Nice. Yeah. Mm-Hmm,
Speaker 1 (00:16:04):
E every negative possible aspect and outcome is in your brain right there. Like, did I do okay? Okay. All this is gonna go wrong. 'cause we, we always think Mr. Murphy, right? We, we are just that person. It's like, yeah, this is going to end poorly.
Speaker 2 (00:16:18):
Oh, is this the rod that I shut in the tailgate? I can't remember. You know, ? Yeah. Oh,
Speaker 1 (00:16:26):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (00:16:27):
Yeah. Even here at my folks house, there's a tiny little lake here called Fish Lake. Uh, it's only 306 acres. I was out there. Um, bobber fishing for Pike. I get the, uh, I get the biggest sucker meadows I can find and, uh, throw 'em out, throw 'em out there on a, with a softball sized bobber. And, uh, last year, two years ago, I was out and, uh, 60 pound test liter on 30 pound, uh, either fire line, fire line's, probably my favorite, um, uh, fishing line. Um, and a 60 pound liter in a, I don't even giant hook and just a bare hook in this, in this, uh, Sacramento. And I had something on the bobber took off underwater, like it had its own propulsion system. And I set the hook. I mean, it basically set the hook itself. But I got my hands on the rod a couple of seconds before it was going over, and it pulled the clasp on the leader out of the carriage and, and, and snapped it. I've never seen that. Or even I had the leader sitting around here on the patio for a long time, just showing people. But I've never seen anything like that. I gotta think it was, it could have been a snapping turtle, a very large snapping turtle. I don't know. I don't know of a fish that could pull that hard.
Speaker 1 (00:17:45):
Mm. You have a lock mass monster in that lake,
Speaker 2 (00:17:48):
Right? Yeah. They're supposed to be sturgeon in this lake. I've seen 'em on film, but that was, that was, yeah, that was unreal.
Speaker 1 (00:17:57):
Uh, and that's a haunter right there. That, that's, I hate the haunters. Yeah. I'm gonna find
Speaker 2 (00:18:02):
You. That thing's still out there. .
Speaker 4 (00:18:05):
Speaker 1 (00:18:07):
Good. Oh, all right. Final one in this one. Could you just nailed a good one? I don't know if you're, well, I know you'll have another one. Can you share any other, uh, favorite fishing stories, including an unexpected catch or challenging fishing situations?
Speaker 2 (00:18:23):
Uh, if I was aware of what I had, uh, in the boat, I would be probably the current state record holder for Minnesota. Uh, and the Dogfish or the, uh, I forget what, what the hell are they called? Um, I dunno. They got a spot on their tail. There's a, an actual term for them. Anyways, I was fish pike fishing, um, I think it was a bobber setup. And, uh, this thing fought like hell. I didn't, I thought I had, I thought I had the Pike of the lake, right? Like, got into the boat and it was a Dogfish and I pulled it in. It was just over 11 pounds, and they're considered a trash fish here. So I just let it go. Um, and then, uh, I was at the bait shop a couple days later and, uh, told the guys there. I'm like, yeah, you know, I caught this Dogfish. And, um, and it was this, and it was that. And they're like, what, um, how big was it? I told 'em, and they're like, pulled out their state record book. They're like, you'd be the state record holder if that was indeed true. And I was kind of mad for a sec. And then I'm like, yeah, I don't wanna be the Dogfish guy in Minnesota. I'm okay with this .
Speaker 2 (00:19:38):
Yeah, it's pretty, it's, but what, the only thing I can really come up with that, uh, that was unexpected.
Speaker 1 (00:19:46):
That would've been cool though, man. I mean, yeah. So sometimes you gotta be the, the top Dumpster Fire
Speaker 2 (00:19:51):
Speaker 4 (00:19:52):
.
Speaker 1 (00:19:54):
Uh, perfect. Well, we've been rocking 20 minutes here. Let's go ahead and knock out our first paycheck of the episode, and we'll get into talking more about memory. We'll get into Memories Made Outdoors and all the, uh, the organization piece.
Speaker 1 (00:20:12):
It is your first paycheck of the episode. Hopefully you've been catching a bunch of fish. And when you're listening to this at the beach, wherever you're fishing, you gotta check it to 20 minutes. It's always a good time to make sure that your bait's still good, still fresh on the line, not just out there and getting, get picked off and ripped away. This bait check is being brought to you by DS custom tackle. Ds custom tackle.com is a great webpage to go to if you need any kind of fishing material. So if you need to make rigs for fresh water and salt water floats, beads, hooks, teasers rigs and pieces like that, lots of that on there. There's a bunch of gear that you can go take a look at and order quick shipping, great customer service, it's all covered. So ds custom tackle.com. Go take a look at that today. Get your order in. You will not be sorry, I assure you. Alright,
Speaker 5 (00:20:56):
Good. Here. Let's talk about memories Made Outdoors. You guys have been, mission is frigging phenomenal. I, at first, I didn't really dig into it until we talked last time, and then I looked at it before, I was like, oh, well, you're doing some cool stuff, . And then
Speaker 1 (00:21:10):
I was like, holy crap, you're doing a lot of stuff. Like, there was a lot more to it than I thought. So let's start there at the beginning. Can you provide an overview of the Memories Made Outdoors organization and its mission?
Speaker 2 (00:21:20):
Yeah, certainly. So, uh, what our goal and mission and vision is to, uh, is to take veterans, uh, active duty and first responders fishing, uh, absolutely free of charge to them. And, uh, we do just about exclusively week long trips, uh, here in, in Minnesota, Northern Minnesota, um, uh, Eastern South Dakota, and then ultimately Canada, uh, as well. So, um, we all come from other organizations that are similar to this, but we feel like we are the pinnacle, um, and are, or becoming the pinnacle by keeping the, the, the, um, quality of the trips and the experience, uh, just absolutely next level. Um, we've had a ton of support, uh, from the folks over at Shields, uh, local outdoors, um, uh, uh, store here, uh, in, in the region. Um, pure fishing has supported us a great deal. Um, and then Sunset Bay Resort in Ottertail County, um, has really helped us out quite a bit as well.
Speaker 2 (00:22:30):
Um, it's, it's a space that can quickly and easily become, um, exploitative for, for monetary gain for whether it's an individual or, or the organization itself. Um, and, and that's been kind of the, the, the, the bad taste left in, in, in our miles from other organizations where it's not so transparent. You start to wonder, you know, what's going on? Why can't I see certain things? Why if I keep asking for, for transparency? And it just doesn't happen. So, um, at the encouragement of myself and two other guys, um, we convinced our president, Mike Farrell, I was a professional fisherman, uh, here locally to, uh, to peel off and start our own thing, which we did, uh, in January of this year. Um, and it just really took off, uh, between getting our apparel out. I was kind of, um, involved with getting the, the, the hoodies and the shirts and the hats.
Speaker 2 (00:23:33):
And I am an absolute snob when it comes to these items. Like the hoodie I'm wearing right now. I have two of them. And I, I, if I could wear nothing for the rest, nothing but these for the rest of my days, I would be just fine. Um, and so it's, uh, it's really, you know, we've had, we've got our first, uh, kind of event, our meet and greets, uh, this Thursday in Hugo, uh, Minnesota. And, uh, we were hoping when we set out to, uh, to maybe get between 80 and a hundred people there, I think we're probably gonna be 300 to 350 people, which yeah, right. Um, power of social media. I, uh, I'm, I'm nervous. It's, it's, if, if that indeed happens, you know, there's only six of us, um, board members, uh, and that's a lot. That's, that's 80 people a piece trying to, trying to kinda e entertain.
Speaker 2 (00:24:27):
And, you know, it's down in the area where I grew up, so there's gonna be, um, some other folks just, you know, um, that I've known, you know, my entire life that are gonna, they're gonna pop in and whatnot. So it'll be a great thing. Just, you know, this one, this event's not an ask. We're just, our approach is come and see what we're about. If that compels you to want to support in whatever capacity you want to then do it, um, you know, we're not door knocking or begging or anything like that. We're, we're a show you first ask later kind of approach. Um, and so, you know, we're, we're looking, I think we have six trips planned this year. Um, you can go to the website, uh, they're, they're on there. You can sign up directly on the website if, if you want to go on a trip.
Speaker 2 (00:25:13):
Uh, memories made.org, I'm sorry, memories Made outdoors.org. Um, and, uh, it's got our panel, uh, of, of all of our board members, our backgrounds, and, uh, you know, um, me being the only, one of the only veterans on the board, actually, there's another guy who's an Army cat. Uh, and then we've got one sheriff's deputy who's, who's still active. He's, he's on our board as well. So it's not, um, it's not a bunch of civilians calling the shots for, for our, for our guests. It's, uh, the influence is heavy and I have quite a bit of, um, of, of control over, over all of it. Um, and, uh, I'm a, I'm kind of the voice of reason, and I'm also the hammer, uh, for the board kind of thing. I can see that . Um, so, but it's, it's great. The guys really are, are doing, and gals are doing a great job.
Speaker 2 (00:26:02):
Um, you know, Mike and his and his fiance Ally, uh, the president and, uh, and his fiance are, I, I mean, they are working tirelessly round the, literally round the clock. Um, he's, uh, you know, his garage is currently full of baskets and, and, and, uh, auction items and raffle stuff. They really, uh, they both have full-time jobs, you know, so it's really kind of a, a, it's, it's awesome. It's a passion. These guys are, are all about it. And, um, I haven't encountered anybody that's as good of a fisherman as Mike Ferrell is. Um, he taught me all, I mean, a lot. I was not really a walleye fisherman up until probably two summers ago. And it was just crazy. Like we were catching walleyes in places I'd never even would've tried, you know, he is like, oh, we gotta get these, we got these wakeboards out there, and we're gonna spread this out.
Speaker 2 (00:26:57):
Go out a hundred, 117 feet, no more, no less. 117. All right, here we go. Boom. Right, right on top. Right on top Fish after Phish, after Phish. And, you know, it was, he's truly, uh, he, he, he, he knows what he is doing. Um, so that's kind of us in a nutshell. Uh, you know, we want to do it right, do it clean, and, and b, that, uh, that shining, uh, example of what nonprofits are supposed to be, not putting somebody up on stage and leveraging that for, for gain in any capacity. You know? Um, that's, that's what we're all about. Good
Speaker 1 (00:27:37):
Stuff, dude. Uh, what inspired the creation of Memories Made Outdoors?
Speaker 2 (00:27:42):
Um, being, being a, a part of other organizations that just never really got it just right and wanting to be again, transparent. Um, you know, we're, I think we're the only nonprofit that posts a link to our, to our books, our p and Ls. Um, and they're updated every quarter. Um, and it to treat the guests like, you know, to really give them an, because it almost always happens, every trip that I've been on, um, one or multiple of the guests will approach either myself, Mike, uh, or Jay. Jay Helene is, uh, is the sheriff's deputy, um, that's on our board. And he's, he's, he's a, he's unique. He's built like Chris Farley and looks like him too, and, uh, and wired like him. So he's real, he's big. And, but he is also like, kind of cuddly, so people like to gravitate towards him.
Speaker 2 (00:28:35):
And so somebody always comes to one or multiple of us and is like, Hey, um, you know, I really needed this. I I almost didn't come on this trip. I wanted to, I wanted to back out last minute, but my wife made me, or so-and-so, or whatever. They got over some hurdle to get to the trip. And it, uh, it, it really gave them, uh, you know, that kind of, that that peace that they've been looking for. Um, 'cause you know, as well as I do, you know, I go through, uh, different periods or, uh, seasons in life where, you know, it's just dark and I gotta let it run its course or crawl out of it somehow, you know? And, um, it's, uh, we have had one, we had one guest, this was when we were on a trip for a different organization that approached Mike and, uh, told him that he had plans to take his own life and didn't, because of what he experienced on a trip was really hard to hear, you know?
Speaker 1 (00:29:31):
Oh, yeah. I mean, hell, it's, it's always you and I, we've got numerous connections un unfortunately, to that piece of outgrow, and we've seen it. And just getting one person to not is a, is a win. Uh, and for someone to tell you that is a, you know, it gave them that hope that that's huge. That's a massive win.
Speaker 2 (00:29:51):
Yeah. Was, uh, it's definitely, it's a shot in the arm and keep you going for sure. You know, after you collect yourself, you know, that's pretty heavy, heavy to take on and, and, uh, and absorb and then, you know, stand up, puff your chest out and, and, and get on, get on it, man. You know? So it's, um, it's, it's fulfilling in a number of different capacities. Um, not only the fishing itself, but also, uh, you know, the, um, the impact we have on some folks, and it just, uh, there's nothing like it, man. It really is, you know.
Speaker 1 (00:30:27):
Well, good job on that, man. You guys are doing good things. So this is, let, let's talk about the activities that the organization is pushing into. What, what type of activities or experiences, uh, are you offering and facilitating?
Speaker 2 (00:30:41):
Um, so each one of the trips is, is at, is it's always gonna be at a resort, right? Um, folks, guys, gals that, you know, have their, have their own cabins. And so it's, uh, it's kind of an all-inclusive thing. We go out and we, there's a morning fish, you, if you want to go on that guys, you know, leave the docks at six 30 or seven, come back nine 30, you know, 10 o'clock, have some breakfast, have some lunch. Um, you know, the fishing kind of drops off in the middle of the day. Um, and then we go back out for an evening, uh, evening fish, and then, um, come back. We have a kind of a community dinner. Um, you know, we all eat, we eat together, um, you know, bonfire have, uh, you know, maybe a couple of, couple of couple of sodas and, uh, and some fellowship and, and get to know each other.
Speaker 2 (00:31:27):
And, uh, and then, um, for the, that'll go for three or four days. And then when we're getting ready to, to kind of close it up, uh, whoever the trip sponsor was, um, if there was one, um, we have a, a plaque presentation the night before we leave, and kind of a thank you and identify, uh, them, um, you know, individually and, and what they did for, for the organization and, and, and send them home with something to hang on the wall, um, you know, for, for their, uh, and, and they're, you know, if they're a trip sponsor, they're, they're encouraged and also invited to come on the trip. A lot of guys don't, but, uh, it's, um, you know, it's, it's a week long fishing. You just, all you gotta do is get there. Everything else is taken care of, you know, uh, the bait, the gas, the boats, um, you know, lodging, the food, everything.
Speaker 2 (00:32:21):
Yeah. We even get booze donations, ,
Speaker 1 (00:32:23):
What? Oh no, yeah,
Speaker 2 (00:32:26):
, wait here, here's, here's a, here's a cooler. Here's, you know, just, it's, it's crazy how, how, how generous folks are, are. And, um, you know, they get the reputation of the guys that are here all the time. And then also myself coming and going kind of thing. Really, we don't have to get over that hurdle of, you know, the stink eye. Are you guys for real, you know, just by being a part of it, it's already folks know, like, okay, if it's Ryan or Mike or Jay, uh, or, or Jason, um, you know, it's, uh, this is for real. This is not, you know, we're not, we're not playing patty cake in the sandbox. We're, we're doing this for real, and we mean every bit of it.
Speaker 1 (00:33:06):
That's so cool. Uh, so you talked earlier about the local, the local community that's embracing with that. So how does the organization engage with the community and encouraging people, Hey, look, come up here, take a look at this.
Speaker 2 (00:33:21):
Uh, a lot of it's social media. Some of it's networking, um, existing networks, uh, from the folks that are here, um, also myself. Um, it'll really be telling how, how, um, how truly successful it's been at, uh, by, by the end of our event on Thursday night. Um, and then also we have a crappy fishing tournament on Saturday. That's our, our, our kind of our first big fundraiser. Um, we first year, this is the sixth year they've had the tournament. This time it's for us, the memories made outdoors, uh, nonprofit. And it was the first year we sold out, we filled it. We had 50 boats. Um, and I think there's probably 200 anglers that are, that are gonna be there. Wow. Um, and so I think sounds like one of the news channels is gonna show up, um, just to kind of cover it as, as, as a local piece. It's, you know, it's, it's really, it's really just kind of, things have fallen into place. People have heard about us, um, through, through their networks. And, um, Mike and Allie who live here in north, or live in North Branch, just a couple of miles south of me right now, I'm currently in Harris, Minnesota. Um, they're starting to get recognized out in town, which is super cool. Um, so I, to answer your question directly and not continue beating around the bush, I don't know quite yet, but I'll have more information Thursday
Speaker 1 (00:34:50):
Night. See, people don't, I don't think people realize the, the fun part of what we've done in our careers where it's like, look, I can talk to this and there's other pieces too, but I'll get you more later. Yeah, don't worry. . Uh, it was such a good answer. I loved that. Uh, you mentioned one and the, the guy that, uh, talked about how it was so important and it helped him, you know, saved his life in that one. Can you add into that? Can you share any other success stories or memorable moments from participants who've been involved with memories made outdoors? Yeah, it kind of stole the thumb. You kind of, you, you kind of launched a monster there with that one. Yeah. It's kind of hard to top it or line with that.
Speaker 2 (00:35:38):
Yeah. I should have, I should have reviewed the questions prior. A little better . So,
Speaker 1 (00:35:44):
Um, overrated.
Speaker 2 (00:35:48):
I would say, you know, we don't, we don't, we don't inject we religion or or faith into it at all. Um, but without exception, just about every trip it happens, right? Some guy, you know, one dude will be down by the lake and, and, and just kind of having a prayer session or whatever, and then it will grow, right? And then it'll turn into, you know, like, remember bootcamp, we had evening devotion, right? Um, it's almost turns into something like that. And it's not pushed, we don't bring it up. We don't like, you know, set it up or anything like that. It just kind of happens. And for a consistent, uh, co consistently different group of people every time for that to materialize on its own, uh, I think is unique and, and worth mentioning. Um, 'cause, you know, there's a, there's a pretty, pretty strong connection between nature and, and, uh, and the Lord and that. And so I would say that would be the other, um, you know, the other thing that, uh, is, is interesting and, um, and compelling to watch or, or to witness, I should say. Nice.
Speaker 1 (00:37:00):
Very, very nice. Um, you know what, we're gonna do another paycheck because it's a perfect time for us moving this 'cause we're, we're going into Impact and some other growth here. So let's knock on another paycheck and we'll continue on.
Speaker 1 (00:37:20):
This paycheck is brought to you by the Kids. Can Fish Foundation help these kids go fishing? Man, it's, it's good stuff. You saw them come through the panhandle recently. We had a great organiz, we had a great gathering in Pensacola where we had 33 kids come out and get a rod and reel free. They got to hang out with the coaches to learn how to do surf fishing. All of that got put together by Kids Can Fish, and it was all brought in for free for them via your donations, your growth, you are the ones that make that happen. So kids can fish.net, great webpage, go take a look at. They've also got their big, uh, red fish tournament outta St. Simons Island, Georgia coming up this year. That's another way you can support in that. And if you're into cast net or looking for a cast net, you can get the Promar AHI one, which proceeds for that. Some of them go back to Kids Can Fish. So take a look at that. Take the, see all the cool things they're doing, kids can fish you. Great. Great job doing good things.
Speaker 5 (00:38:15):
Now that we've talked about impact, let's, uh, or what it's done for success, let's talk about impact because we've seen you and I've, uh, how many guys comes? Hey, veterans, Hey, first responders do this. Hey, this is for you a lot times, like are, don't believe the puch, how does organization?
Speaker 2 (00:38:54):
Great question. Um, we, we, we try to get, uh, feedback in terms of, uh, shooting a, a short video, uh, feedback of from, from the guests that have been on the trips. Um, we've only had one trip to date. It was ice fishing, uh, uh, Northern Minnesota. And I don't know that those are out of editing yet. We've kind of shifted our, we're all, we're doing all this kind of on our own and learning things, you know, um, we, our our budget is robust for how long we've been a thing. Um, but we're still doing a lot of, uh, footwork and, uh, kind of, you know, the, the back office tasks ourselves. So we, we transitioned, uh, a lot of our attention starting in the beginning of March to the, the two events, pardon me, the two events we've got coming up this week. So, um, it's early. That's about as good as I can, as I can say. Um, we'll have, uh, we'll have quite a bit more, uh, feedback and, um, more data points, uh, at the end of this week. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:40:01):
Especially with that tournament, dude. I mean, that's to, to get growth enough that an organization is willing to sponsor a tournament in your name to grow into that one. That's huge. That, that's, that's not a Oh, cool. Whoever you are. No, that's, that's legwork. And you guys have done that so that you, you got a lot and then you've got this, like you said, this event and then that. Yeah, I think after those, you're gonna be super stacked. Uh, I don't know how you're gonna do it. It's, it's
Speaker 2 (00:40:29):
So much, it's like, it's like everything else in my life. It's just by the seat of my pants. Here we go, you know, just do it. Mm.
Speaker 1 (00:40:37):
It's kind of how it weirdly ends up successful with that
Speaker 2 (00:40:40):
break some while we're doing it, but, you know, ultimately get the, uh, get the mission accomplished, if you will.
Speaker 1 (00:40:46):
Yeah, definitely. I'll know. Uh, so what are some of the main challenges the organization has faced in promoting outdoor experiences, and how have you guys overcome it?
Speaker 2 (00:40:56):
Um,
Speaker 2 (00:40:59):
running through Walls, man. You know, just, just, just doing it. I mean, I, that's, that's, I know that's generic and kind of a cop out, but that's just, just do it, right. Um, find a way around it, find a way over it, or find a way through it. And, uh, and it all just kinda seems to work out. You know? It's, it's, like I said, it's only been four months. We haven't really had, you know, a ton of issues. You know, we're, we're pretty selective about who goes on the trips. Um, I mean, you have to prove that you're indeed a veteran, um, uh, with a DD two 14, um, you know, we don't, we don't filter out by discharge whether it's, uh, a, a negative type of discharge from, from armed services or a positive one. Um, but there are, there are a couple of resorts that have money, uh, that is, that they get through grants, um, specifically Veterans, veterans on the Lake in Ely, Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (00:41:59):
Um, we've got a trip with them coming up, and in order for, for the veteran to be able to go, they have to prove, uh, that they're, that they've deployed. Uh, so their DD two 14 has in the bottom right corner, whatever the designator in has to be a two or higher, um, for them to, uh, to be able to go on that trip. Uh, okay, I take that back. They can still go. Um, but if they have that type of discharge on their DD two 14, the grant money from, uh, veterans on the Lake covers their trip.
Speaker 1 (00:42:32):
Ah, okay.
Speaker 2 (00:42:33):
Whereas it, it wouldn't come out of, uh, out of our, out of our budget. Um, so it gives us an opportunity to, to take, to take more people. Um, and, you know, at that point, the trouble, the issue becomes boats and guides, because we try to, we try to, we try, we, we shoot for a one v one kind of experience, um, one, one, uh, veteran, one guide. Um, it's, it's not easy. So we end up, and if we have, like for instance, when, you know, Kevin and I will go on a trip, you know him, and I'll be in the same boat because we've known each other for, you know, 20 years or whatever. Yeah. Or if there's another guy, uh, uh, within the group, if there's guys that, you know, are already friends or become friendly, they wanna fish together, you know, then we, you know, we double 'em up kind of thing. So, um, but it's, it's, we're trying to deliver the, the best and highest level experience we possibly can.
Speaker 1 (00:43:28):
Excellent. Very nice. Uh, are there any specific initiatives or programs that the organization is really proud of right now?
Speaker 2 (00:43:37):
Uh, filling out the tournament was, was big. Um, we're, we're working on getting, uh, one of our guys to become, uh, our grant writer. Um, you know, the money out, the grant money out there is significant. Um, you know, the successes have all been pretty small so far. Um, you know, but I think we got, you know, really big things coming. Um, our goal is to eventually build to an annual budget of around a million bucks and, and have, uh, two or three guys that are full-time. That's all they do. Um, is, is, is work from, is work as memories, made outdoors representatives, um, you know, and, and not an, an exorbitant salary by any stretch of the imagination. We're thinking somewhere between 60 and 80,000 bucks a year as a salary. Um, you know, I, I've got a pension and disability in that for military service.
Speaker 2 (00:44:30):
You know, I've got side gigs and all that. I don't, I don't need much. Um, and you know, Mike and Mike is, is probably gonna be the first one that, that, that goes full time just because he's kind of the guy. Um, and the rest of us support him. But, uh, you know, that's kind of where we're headed. Um, but again, it's a little, it's a little early to, to have any, any real big wins just yet. Um, but, uh, the sun's just rising on this thing for us. And we will, uh, we should do a follow up. We should do a follow up in six months, see what's going on.
Speaker 1 (00:45:02):
Hell yeah, dude. Anytime.
Speaker 2 (00:45:04):
A little more data, I think. Yeah,
Speaker 1 (00:45:06):
We'll definitely do another one. I mean, especially, I mean, you've got the summer run for you guys, which is gonna be an interesting, and then basically what you fall, fall, always great fall, but you and your winter comes early 'cause you have real winter, uh, . So you'll have plenty more to throw into that. Uh, but yeah, we'll definitely do another one. Yeah. What kind of, what partnerships or collaborations has the organization formed to further its mission?
Speaker 2 (00:45:31):
Um, you know, I as mentioned, the, the folks over at Shields, uh, outdoors has have helped us out quite a bit. Uh, fleet Farm, uh, local, um, fleet Farm's, kinda like a redneck target is kind of how I describe it. Um, the obligate, every time the guys come up here, Kevin, or or whoever, we gotta go to Fleet Farm, right? Because you need a lobster tail, a two by four and a gerbil. That's your place. Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:45:55):
Love those places, dude. ,
Speaker 2 (00:45:57):
It's like Meyer in Michigan, right? Yeah. This greatest store ever. Um, you know, the, some of the local, uh, uh, fishing and hunting, uh, stores have, have, have really stepped out. I know, uh, Mike's employer, EPS, they're an lec uh, local electric, uh, electrician, uh, outfit. They're, they're, they've been behind us incredibly. Um, let's see. Uh, we're working on taking, I can't really talk about this yet, um, but there is a high level tournament that has kind of been left to, they, they stopped doing it a couple of years ago, and it sounds like we're gonna pick that up and if we do, and if we can get the permit from the county for that event, you're talking about 5,000 people.
Speaker 1 (00:46:46):
Oh, dear God, that's a lot of bodies,
Speaker 2 (00:46:48):
Right? And it's, uh, it's also a crappy tournament, but the big prize, I think is, I don't remember what it is. It's money and it's a lot of money. You know, I think it's low five figures, I think. Um, and it's unique because only one person knows what the number is in the envelope. And the number in the envelope is some random weight, right? It could be like nine ounce, 9.6 ounces, or one pound, one ounce, one pound, uh, 1.17 pounds. Whoever comes up brings a fish in that weighs exactly that. The first one, they get the money. It's not the biggest fish, it's not the smallest fish, it's the random envelope number, right? Like, so if your, if your fish is that weight boom, like here's, you know, and like the last one, last kid, last person to win was like a 4-year-old girl
Speaker 1 (00:47:43):
. Nice.
Speaker 2 (00:47:46):
So
Speaker 1 (00:47:47):
It's going to your 401k honey. That's right. You'll, you'll thank me later. Mm-Hmm, . Okay. That just totally derailed my whole thing. When you said it was a 4-year-old kid, I'm like, well, that. That's, that's a nice hookup.
Speaker 2 (00:48:01):
Yeah. You got guys out there just decked head, head, head to toe, and all this heavy duty or this expensive gear and all this, all these bells and whistles. And the 4-year-old girl with the, with the Snoopy pull comes strolling in and takes surprise. Awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:48:14):
Oh, I got, oh, yay. I caught a fish. Uh, yep. You're sold forever, kid. Welcome to it. Uh, so we, we've talked about goals with the organization. Uh, let, let's nail that one down a little bit further. Well, so what are some long-term goals and the vision for memories made outdoors?
Speaker 2 (00:48:31):
Uh, it would be to, to grow to that level of budget and, and be able to have like a full-time staff and ultimately doing, uh, 24 trips a year, year round. Nice. You know, the, uh, you know, the ice fishing is awesome that I gotta have you up here for that. That blows you blows.
Speaker 1 (00:48:50):
Oh no, I'm fluffy, dude, but don't put me on the ice castle. Oh,
Speaker 2 (00:48:54):
Well we got ice castles, man, Google Ice Castle. You know, I've
Speaker 1 (00:48:57):
Seen the, those are frigging beautiful,
Speaker 2 (00:48:58):
Right? You will sit by the fireplace, watch TV, and you know, jig right through the, come on Teddy. Um, you know, right through the floor of the, the place, you know, while you're watching, you know, while you're watching the Bucks take on, you know, new England or whatever, you know, and it's, uh, you're definitely cozy.
Speaker 1 (00:49:14):
Yeah, I, I do need to come up for that. I mean, you've invited me up so many times and it's always been, then I, I don't wanna say life, but life gets in the way and then all the other stuff. And it's like, it's the personal one too of, and I'll admit this 'cause we've been friends for years and it, it's, it still falls into that memory of I know that I can go up and hang out with my buddies, you and Kevin and all that. But it's also that, well, you guys also have, you know, your friend time and it's the organization piece. It's always that, dude, ah, you're good. Take them. It's always that. And I think a lot of veterans too, you're gonna run into this, obviously you've probably already seen it when it comes to, you know, Hey veterans come on out for this. Like, oh, somebody else is more deserving. It's like, you are deserving a hundred
Speaker 2 (00:49:57):
Percent. You
Speaker 1 (00:49:58):
Did, you a hundred percent have done your time. You've, you earned that. You sleep under the blanket of your DD two 14 comfortably at night. You rate, go enjoy this.
Speaker 2 (00:50:08):
That, going back to challenge, that would be one of them is getting guys not only to commit, um, but to ultimately show up because they, you know, they're like, oh, they'll, they'll cancel last minute 'cause they're like, uh, somebody else is more deserving. We've actually adopted a, a kind of a policy where it's, it's a hundred dollars deposit. Um, and that's part of that is if, if it's a, if it's a Canadian a a trip to Canada, um, that deposit goes towards your fishing license in Canada. 'cause I think the non-resident fishing license is like $98 and 50 cents once you, uh, convert, um, your currency. Um, so it's kind of double taps, uh, you know, that, that requirement. But yeah, it's getting guys to come on the trips is, is sometimes stuff we're, Hey, hey, let go, um, scrambling last minute to fill, um, to fill a cancellation where, you know, we're even, you know, the spot doesn't go. The spot goes unfilled. Which, which is no good. We don't, you know, it's, we need guys there, guys and gals. Of course. Yeah. So that, that's a tough one. 'cause it's, I I, I, I did that when I was first invited on, on, on a trip a couple, four or five years ago. You know, I almost canceled last minute because I'm like, ah, somebody else is more deserving. And it, it took Mike to tell me, he is like, no, you're, you're going, okay. Mike's a big guy. Mike's bigger than I'm, you know,
Speaker 1 (00:51:37):
It's hard. That's scary. Then you're, you're not a short stocky, do you? You're tall and six,
Speaker 2 (00:51:43):
He's six two, every bit of three 10. And, uh, he's got some mitts on him too. His, his hands are bigger, bigger than mine, .
Speaker 1 (00:51:52):
So that's, that's been one of the ones, I know we're a little tangent here, but that, that's been the one thing I've noticed. We, we've got a lot of cool veteran stuff down here. I mean, hell we're, I got four bases around me, right? Um, and there are so many ones that they'll do, and this guy's like, oh, well, I don't deserve it. It's like, dude, go. If you don't, somebody else is gonna say the exact same word, somebody else more deserving, somebody else is more deserving. And that spot's gonna go open and that whole thing is gonna be a waste. And it's okay to go to these. Yeah. I mean, if you go, you go, great. But if you say you're gonna go, you, you frigging show up, you're going.
Speaker 2 (00:52:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:52:32):
Um, okay. Last two questions in this, and then we can, uh, we can move on to the fun stuff and get you outta here for the day. Finally, , how can individuals or groups get involved with and support the organization's work?
Speaker 2 (00:52:46):
Um, go to our, go to our website, uh, memory's made, uh, outdoors.org. Um, all of our, all of our, uh, apparel is for sale there. You can make direct donations. You can sign up for trips, you can sign up to volunteer to go on a trip, uh, as, as a, as a guest guide or, um, or even just kind of helping out and just being around, um, you know, come, come to our, our events if you're local. Um, you know, otherwise, uh, just, you know, you can donate directly to the website or, you know, we're gonna have, sounds like we're gonna put a golf tournament together for, for probably 25. That's gonna be my problem. Or my task, I should say. 'cause I'm the only guy, I think I'm the only guy on the board who does play. Um, and so yeah, it's, you know, and, and may just help spread the word, you know, even if, if you don't have the means to, to buy a shirt or a hat or, or give a donation, you know, if, if you believe in us and what we're doing, you know, maybe tell somebody about it.
Speaker 2 (00:53:47):
Who does have, have the capacity to, to support? And, you know, word of mouth is huge, right? Um, reputations are hugely important to us. Um, and, uh, and, and continuing to be that, um, sterling example of what nonprofits should be versus what some of them are.
Speaker 1 (00:54:08):
Good deal. Dude. You know, you're still one of the only friends of mine that I know that has routinely destroyed their drivers on driving
Speaker 2 (00:54:15):
. I'm getting a little older, a little fatter and a little slower. So I'm, I'm not as hard on equipment anymore. I haven't broken a driver's. 2019 I think was the last time I did
Speaker 1 (00:54:28):
Still, I remember the first time you told me you blew a driver up. I'm like, what? What did you do? Get mad and no, I just swung it. Like how does one Kelly driver ? Uh,
Speaker 2 (00:54:38):
Well, generally it's, uh, it's probably in, in that case that I think the one you're talking about where the head came flying off.
Speaker 1 (00:54:43):
Yeah. And I was like, how did you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:54:45):
The, uh, the Zel was already cracked at some point. Um, and that swing was just whatever was, was just the last, the last bit of, you know, whatever tinsel or whatever, uh, strength that, or structural integrity that thing had. Um, the last one was an R 15 TaylorMade driver. I buried, unintentionally buried that thing two inches in the, in the dirt and it snapped just below where my hands were, um, on the grip. But, uh, that, that was probably already, um, compromised just to start with. 'cause you know that that's, that's power. I'm not, I'm not that strong . That's
Speaker 1 (00:55:28):
Ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (00:55:29):
But,
Speaker 1 (00:55:30):
Uh, still fun.
Speaker 2 (00:55:31):
Yep. I've got a number of putters that have been buried at sea all over San Diego County as well. You know,
Speaker 1 (00:55:38):
Rightly so, though.
Speaker 2 (00:55:40):
Get a little upset and Bye-Bye.
Speaker 1 (00:55:44):
Yep, man, you play some nice courses out there too. I know. You do.
Speaker 2 (00:55:47):
I do.
Speaker 1 (00:55:48):
Uh, all right, last question in this category, and we'll get to the closing questions here. Can you share any other upcoming projects? You've got the tournament, you've got these other ones, uh, further on that, say for the winter or anything that you're working on and you're excited about.
Speaker 2 (00:56:02):
Um, sounds like we, we, what we never thought possible would be, uh, a hunting trip. Um, just because we thought of, you know, the insurance piece wouldn't be, uh, uh, even available. Um, but, and by hunting, I should clarify. It'd be, it would be ducks or pheasants, you know, birds not, we're not slinging, you know, 30 out six rounds, down range, you know, where somebody could really get hurt. Um, you know, bird shot will kill you faster than anything, but it's, you know, you got, you got a half a shot or half a chance of surviving that if there is indeed an accident. But, um, so it sounds like we might be entering into that opportunity. Um, but we've gotta be, we've gotta, we've gotta navigate that carefully. 'cause the last thing we need or want is a Chris Kyle type of incident. And so we've gotta, we've gotta kind of figure out how to vet, um, how to vet the potential guests for something like that without tripping into the HIPAA kind of territory, right? So, um, we're working on that and, uh, we don't know yet, but it sounds like we can at least get insurance, but there's gonna be some extra steps towards, um, screening potential guests for being able to, um, take advantage of an event like that. So that's on the horizon. Good. Good
Speaker 1 (00:57:24):
Deal. All right, well, it's been about 60 minutes and we're gonna move into the closing questions here. Let's now got one last final paycheck.
Speaker 1 (00:57:38):
This is your third and final paycheck, and hopefully you caught a bunch of fish while you were listening to this episode, and you've been just having a great day. You're back in the car, you're heading home to cook it all up. This final paycheck is being brought to you by the sinker guy. Go over the sinker guy.com, take a look at everything that chip's got going on in the sinker Guy garage needs Niks ai. He's got you covered. It's in his name. He's got plenty of great rigs. The Bruno rig and Uno, the Uno rig, the fishing mortician rig, that's all in there. If you need ancillary tools, scissors, pliers, lots of gear, he's got you there. It's all on the website. The sinker guy.com. Go take a look at it. Great customer service. He's always very, he's very responsive if you have messages, and he is always willing to teach. So lots of good things on there. The sinker guide.com. Go take a look, get your order in today. All right, the last one's here. So are there any fellow anglers, mentors, authors, individuals who inspired your journey and deserve a shout out?
Speaker 2 (00:58:28):
Haven't talked about that? Oh, definitely. Locally, it's gotta be Babe Winkleman, uh, and the Linder Brothers, they're, uh, when I was a kid, they, each of them had, babe Winkelman had his own show Saturday mornings, uh, and it was always watching awesome to watch him, and I learned a number of things. His wife would come on and do a cooking portion, uh, a segment of the show. And then, uh, Al Linder, I forget his brother's name. Um, but both of those guys are, had a, had a show called The End of Magazine called The In Fisherman, um, which was also a Saturday morning, uh, type event, just kind of your local rockstar fisherman guys. And, uh, if you're born, I don't know, in the mid to late seventies, early eighties and, and lived up here, you definitely know who those three people are.
Speaker 1 (00:59:18):
Very cool. I love that you brought up the old stuff stuff when we were kids, dude. Oh, you Saturday morning things. Hell
Speaker 2 (00:59:23):
Yeah, man, it was like, you know, get up in the morning, get your kicks or your Lucky Charms or whatever, fire up the tv, and there's Babe Winkleman, you know, landing, you know, landing of 28, 28 inch walleye and, and Gale Force winds out on Lake Macks or MLAs Lake or, or, uh, lake of the Woods or something like that. And then the Linder Brothers, like, those guys are, those guys are cowboys, man, I, I would've loved to be a be a fly on the wall at happy hour when those guys were getting after it
Speaker 1 (00:59:52):
, uh, they know more than, or they, they've forgotten more than we know, essentially how that one plays into, I'm sure. For
Speaker 2 (01:00:00):
Sure. Dude.
Speaker 1 (01:00:02):
Uh, listeners for us, you, you've mentioned the website before, uh, but let's bring it back up again. Where can listeners go to find out more about what you're doing, the organization's doing, stay up to date on how the organization is and order apparel and stuff to support the organization?
Speaker 2 (01:00:18):
Sure. So our website is, uh, memories made outdoors.org. You can buy, um, any of our equipment, like the hoodie I'm wearing right now. Um, the beanies are super high, uh, high quality. I, I have my own little personal touch on those. Everything, um, is either, uh, like the white stuff is all, is red, white, and blue, very patriotic. Otherwise, we're also on Facebook, uh, memories made outdoors. I think we're on TikTok, but nobody's really running that channel just yet. Um, and I believe we're on Instagram as well. Um, so at, at Memories Made Outdoors, I believe is our handle there. So it'll be a, a quite a bit of, uh, of, of, we'll be dumping quite a bit of stuff on social media the next four or five days with everything we've got going on. Um, and, uh, you know, hit us up, follow us, you know, even in Interact, um, you know, you can chat with us right on the Facebook page. Um, I'm, I'm an admin, Mike's an admin, and I typically, typically answer, you know, within, within a few minutes, assuming I'm not operating some large piece of machinery,
Speaker 1 (01:01:23):
, and all these links will be back on the finding demo, most searching page on this episode. Wherever you found it. It'll be all on the, through the social media. So you'll be able to find it through here and listening. You can go back and take a look at that. All right, last question, man. We'll get you outta here. What's next for you?
Speaker 2 (01:01:39):
Uh, good question, man. Um,
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Probably, uh, finish out the year here. Uh, finish out the 24 and into 25. I got, uh, my wife and kid are gonna move back up here permanently next summer. Um, I'll be splitting time, uh, because my, my real estate business in Southern California, I can't walk away from that. That would be done. Yeah. Um, for, for now, I'd like to transition. Uh, I'm also becoming licensed in Minnesota here in June. Um, and also I'll be splitting time between, um, uh, California and here, kind of backwards from traditional thinking or traditional practices where I'll be in California like February to October, and then October to February I'll be up here. Um, like I said, I'm fluffy, I like the cold. Uh, and so the winter, the, the late fall and the winter, early winter is, is absolutely something to behold, uh, in this, in this region of the country. Um, you, you just, there's nothing like it.
Speaker 1 (01:02:47):
No, I can imagine . Eventually I'll have to see it 'cause yes, I will have to go ice fishing with you and come up there and hang out. Well, Ryan, dude, thank you so much for coming on, talking to us today with Memories Made Outdoors, all the pieces for that, telling us your story. And, uh, I'm just happy to talk to you dude on here. I mean, we talk through texting all the time, but talking through here, I'm glad we got to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:03:06):
Yeah, buddy, I really appreciate you having me on. It means a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:03:09):
No problem. All right. Yes. We will do a follow up in a few months and we'll talk through text. We'll get it all lined up and, uh, all man, I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (01:03:15):
Take care, brother.
Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
All right, man. Alright, ladies and gentlemen, there you go. Memories made outdoors. We've had a great time having the conversation with them. Lots of good pieces put together. With that. You can go take a look like he said, memories made outdoors.org, lots of good stuff on the site there. With those and all the links, we'll be back on finding demo most suring.com. All that stuff will be on there. Thanks so much. You've been listening to Finding Demo Surf Fishing. Always good to see you. We'll see you next week. Take good care of yourselves. I'm outta here.