Sarley: Starting an Outdoors column, scratching something off my bucket list

It's not every day that a guy gets to scratch an item off his bucket list, but today is one of those rare days for me. I've always dreamed of writing a column for the Daily Herald and now that dream has come true.

I have been writing about the world of the outdoors in various newspapers and magazines for the past couple of decades, but appearing on these pages has always been a goal of mine. The Daily Herald has the absolute best sports page anywhere, and I am proud to be a part of it.

I've been a Daily Herald reader for a long, long time and would like to thank my editor, Orrin Schwarz, for making this happen. Fishing is making a huge comeback in popularity, and I am pleased to be able to offer you regular weekly information to entertain you, amuse you, educate you and hopefully, help you all to better enjoy the activities that I love so much.

I love fishing. There is little I can think of that I would rather do than fish. It relaxes me and takes me to a place where fishing is the only thing I think about. When I am fishing, I forget about work. I forget about chores. I forget about my cares and problems. The time goes by so quickly, I don't even realize how long I have been fishing. I just love it.

Yes, I do other things besides fishing, like hunting and target shooting, and I'll talk about that in the future, but fishing is No. 1.

I began fishing as a child, learning from my father. We vacationed every summer in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. For two weeks every year I had a rod and reel in my hand for every minute that the weather allowed. I loved family vacations and the wonderful memories they made.

I continued fishing as much as I could and eventually decided to try my hand at writing about it. I've been doing that ever since.

I branched out into radio and hosted a show on Chicago's AM-560 WIND for 10 years. I was asked to audition for the co-host job on CLTV's "Sports Page Live at Nine," a nightly sports show that featured me doing a half-hour fishing segment every Thursday evening. I got the gig and did the job for five years. I was the host of a very popular fishing podcast for the past seven years. Yes, fishing has kept me a very busy man.

I will never claim to be the world's greatest fisherman. I'd like to think that I am just a regular guy who enjoys what he does and wishes to share my experiences and knowledge with all who have an interest in the outdoors.

I live in the Western suburbs with my wife, Joyce. She is incredibly patient and understanding. I have three grown children, all of whom enjoy many types of outdoors recreation.

I've been able to fish in some great locations with some extremely interesting and talented people. If I had to choose, I'd say that my favorite times fishing come when I am alone, just walking the banks of some newly found pond or local lake, and I am able to figure out how to catch fish. Solving that mystery is what really floats my boat. Figuring it out is what the pleasure of fishing is all about to me.

I'm very pleased to meet you. I respond to all correspondence, so please let me know what you think. Now, let's go catch some fish.

• New Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.