Growing up in a family of hunters & fishermen has lead Kristen Monroe of OutdoorNews.com to have passion for the outdoors. Recently, Kristen visited South Dakota for some old fashioned casting and blasting.

Some visit South Dakota for the great pheasant hunting.  Others seek a peek at Mount Rushmore.  But I was searching for adventure on the beautiful Black Hills streams.

I was anxious to wet my fly line in the picturesque streams and lakes in the area. The City of Deadwood and the Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Association were our hosts for the 4th annual Association of Great Lake Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) Spring Cast & Blast event. Both greeted the media and our participating corporate members with open arms.

Twenty-four outdoor enthusiasts shared turkey blinds and hiked the natural terrain with hopes of taking home a Merriam’s turkey. Lori Smith of Indiana and Dean Bortz of Wisconsin saw not only turkeys, but also had visits from mountain lions at their respective blinds. Perhaps these powerful predators were seeking a turkey dinner? The sound of the purrs, clucks and gobbles evoked curiosity from the massive pumas. While ten had successful hunts, others were still smiling after experiencing a city rich in old, Wild West history and plentiful wildlife.

Twelve other event participants split up and headed to local lakes and streams to catch walleye, trout, bass and panfish. Lakes Sheridan, Orman, Pactola and several area streams produced beautiful catches and photos for the AGLOW anglers.

Rapid Creek is a tailwater fishery flowing out of scenic Pactola Lake.  Its shallow, clear waters and large, experienced trout make it a highly technical stream.  The fly-fishing was challenging yet delightful, and my persistence was rewarded with my first beautiful brown trout.

“The insects in this area are very small, and the trout are smart,” said David Gamet, manager and guide from Dakota Angler & Outfitter out of Rapid City.  “You have to trick them with a nymph, long leader and light tippet,” he continued.  If you have ever tried to fish with 7x tippet, you know the thickness is next to nothing. It was light and hard to control. The flies were equally tiny.  I used a San Juan Worm as an attractor and a size 22 beatis nymph as a dropper.  These tiny hooks presented another hindrance, as they kept getting covered with algae. But no algae was going to stand in my way.  I cleaned my hook multiple times.

Indeed, the country trout were canny.  I could almost hear their laughter while repeatedly roll casting my St. Croix 5-weight with careful determination. To avoid spooking these smart trout, I fished from the bank on my knees. Casting with stealth, I could hear faint rumbles of thunder in the background. Anxious to hook a trout before the storm hit, I casted like never before. I could smell the rain. Suddenly, a subtle hesitation of my strike indicator and I saw the brown eat the nymph. I lifted the rod gently and fought the glorious fish to the bank. My first brown trout was captured in the net, photographed, and released.  We were caught by the impending downpour on our hike back to the truck, but needless to say, I didn’t care.

At the end of each day AGLOW members met and swapped stories at the Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel, Event Center and Casino – a wonderful hopping off point for all of our Black Hills outdoor adventures.  Deadwood is known as the city that never dies, a title it has earned after being rebuilt three times due to fires. Buildings don’t last forever. But like the surrounding mountains cloaked in Ponderosa pines, the tales of the Wild West will live on for eternity – as will our memories and outdoor stories.

For more info visit these helpful links for the Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Assoc, Deadwood Mountain Grand and Dakota Angler & Outfitter.

The winter months had been rough.  Dark days veil the distance and wet wind pierces marrow.  The city skyscrapers hide among low clouds, mountains drown, windshields streak and stain with light played through endless precipitation.

Those days, one can’t help but wonder.

Thoughts of spring shoot up like dandelions, wild-eyed and full of promise.  In the Northwest, the first signs of warmth shatter cocoons and stagnant lakes ripple and teem with life once again.  On one of the first beautiful days this year, the Filson team took to the highway with a car full of shooting vests, shotguns, and shells, and returned with endless appreciation for this new season.

‘In Your Words’ explores the incredible stories we’ve received from Filson fans across the globe.  Send us your own experiences with our clothing or product here for a chance to be featured on the Filson Life blog.  David C., an over-road trucker with 22 years of experience, wrote us regarding his Filson jacket which has faithfully served him for over 2 million miles of travel.

I hope you can repair this old friend of mine.  I’m a trucker working with Werner out of Omaha, Nebraska.  I’m at 2.9 million accident free miles, and 2 million of these miles have been with this jacket.  It’s been in blizzards, chaining up trucks, working in -10 degrees or below.  Been in winds in Arizona, rains throughout South Florida and Louisiana,  dust storms — you name it.  It’s been through every state in the lower 48 and in Canada.

This coat has never seen a hanger.  It’s just been wadded up and thrown on the floor, on seats, or on bunks.  I even washed it a few times before I found out you weren’t supposed to.

The jacket’s been through hell and back.  Thrown off flat beds, hit with hail, flood waters, snow, ice, winds, for over 2 million miles.  I would like to get it repaired, so it’ll be with me when — Good Lord protect me — I make 3 million accident free miles.

I bought this jacket at a store in South Dakota which was going out of business in the 1990′s, I’d never heard of Filson.  I saw the jacket, and being his last day in business, the owner gave a me a good discount so I said ‘why not?’  It didn’t impress me initially, out on the road you go through coats like crazy, and I was hoping it’d last a season.  Man was I wrong!  It’s lasted me almost 20 years of everyday use.

This jacket is an old friend, hope you can patch it up.  If you knew all the miles, and things this jacket has been through, you would understand how it became an old friend.  Don’t care about looks, as long as you can fix the jacket with patches, sewing, whatever you need to do.

Rest assured, David’s jacket is being returned to him after a thorough inspection.  While unfit for repairs, Filson is replacing the jacket free of charge.