(Note: This is a posting originally submitted on August 1, 2011 while blogging for HeartlandOutdoors.com.  Sentiments still the same, just some more water under the bridge.)

Borrowing a standard rock concert ploy, I’m calling out for a little audience participation.

If you anticipate mulling over the merits of monofilament or brooding about the benefits of braids, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.  No, the lines I’m after are song lyrics.  If anyone is willing to play along feel free to enlighten the rest of us with any fishing related lyrics that you may enjoy.  It’s entirely up to you whether it is an entire fishing song, a couple lines in a non fishing related tune, metaphor, innuendo or whatever.  You see, in addition to fishing, I also truly enjoy music so today provides a reason to combine a pair of passions.  If you are interested in my inspiration feel free to read on as I get kind of lost in the next couple paragraphs.  If not, I’m warning you in advance to either skip to my picks at the end of this posting or simply escape while you can and hopefully come back for something else on another day.

It was thirty years ago today when a fourteen year old music fan (and millions of others) was introduced to something completely different; MTV – Music Television.  August 1, 1981 opened the floodgates to an eclectic mix of rock legends (The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie), legends to be (John Cougar, U2, Tom Petty), lady rockers (Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry), future pop superstars (Madonna, Prince), strange new wave acts (Devo, Adam & The Ants, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Talking Heads) and one hit wonders (The Buggles, Aldo Nova, Taco, Dexy’s Midnight Runners).

Prior to this rock around the clock menagerie of television tunes I’d had to get my weekly fix via programs such as “The Midnight Special”, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert”, “Night Flight”, “Solid Gold’’, “American Bandstand” and an occasional dose of “Soul Train.”  In addition, there were also the brief glimpses of performers on Saturday Night Live.  For a kid raised on these bits and pieces of musical performance and Chicago’s classic WLS 890AM, music television was a revolution.  And, yes, unlike today it was videos all day, every day.  For an impressionable teenaged music lover it was “Just What the Doctor Ordered“(can’t help a bit of an assist from Uncle Ted Nugent).

Forgive me for that bit of introduction concerning my inspiration but I hope you’ll understand that I’m a man who just gets to ramblin’ at times.  Anyway, here’s a few of my favorites.

Second Runner Up – “Fishin’ in the Dark” – The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1987) – This one was popular back when me and my buddies were into fishing, country music and a few beers (once I turned twenty one), thus it is certainly a slam dunk for my list.  However, I’m still not sure this tune is all about fishing.

First Runner Up – “A Country Boy Can Survive” – Hank Williams, Jr. (1982) – Fishing lines such as “I can catch catfish from dusk ‘til dawn” and “we can skin a buck and run a trotline” are classics.  (Note: In the interest of honesty though I don’t know the first thing about processing deer.)  Even without the fishing references, you’ve still got to love a song that also includes “I’d love to spit some Beechnut in that dude’s eyes.”

Winner – “He Went to Paris” – Jimmy Buffett (1973) – I’m no Parrothead but have simply always loved a good story song.  While not entirely a “fishing” song I dig these lines near the end; “Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin’s/And drinks his Green Label each day/Writing his memoirs, losin’ his hearin’/But he don’t care what most people say.”  Fishing, booze, writing and a bit of a recluse; there have been occasions when I’ve aspired to be that guy.

Now it’s your turn.  Talk to you later.  Troy

(Note: I could go on and on, maybe next August…)