Loveland Fishing Club Blog

The first time I went fishing with Dave Harem, it was 23 degrees below zero when he and I and a dozen other club members dragged our sleds onto Lake Grandby for my very first experience fishing through the ice.  

The wind was howling as it’s supposed to in January in Grand County, and the fish were nowhere to be found, which sometimes happens in January in Grand County.  Dave was sitting on his overturned bucket facing me, and made an observation that I treasure:  “You know, Bill, I think we do things like this just to show ourselves we still can.” 

Dave taught me how dead stick in one hole while ice fishing, while jigging with the other; and he and Jim Roode taught me and others how to tie a fly, in a Chilson Center class.  Dang, he was a neat old dude, quiet in a group but a real talker one-on-one. And he was as tough as they come,

I remember the first time I saw him out fishing - out float tubing by himself – flipping his way through the weekend jet ski traffic on Boyd Lake.  And who can forget his legendary archery elk hunt a few years ago – when he could barely walk prior to his knee replacement surgery?  He somehow managed to get away from that enraged mother bear when he got between her and her cub, and come back home to tell us about it.  Like many in our club, including the second club member we lost last week, World War II veteran and teacher Bob Kuhn, he was one of a kind.  As Tom Miller says, “We’ve really got to enjoy our time together.  You never know when things will change.” 

Above are the club’s charter members who attended  the 2015 annual dinner:  left, Dave Harem, Norm Englebrecht, Lou Colton, Walt Graul, Dottie Bechtel, Jim Clune, George Kral, Bob Roelofsz, Skip Kral, Tom Miller and Bob Ray.