For FishingMagician.com, I'm Eric Granstrom. The older I get, the more I spend thinking about the "good ole days" and lamenting how great things were "back in the day." But were they really better? I remember spending hour after hour wading chest-deep into the icy cold Skagit River trying to coax a Dolly Varden to bite. Of course, nowadays, this is a protected species everywhere I turn. In fact, I think the only place you can catch Dolly's anymore is in the great, white north. I remember freezing my tukus off and feeling the sudden tug of being caught on a chunk of debris rather than a fish. The banks surrounding our fishing spot was usually awash in rain and wet snow and an impossible location to start a fire. So, when the cold got bad enough, I'd slog up the bank to the '63 white Ford truck and snuggle up to the dashboard heat. I can still feel the stinging burn in my fingers and my wet, socked feet stinking up the cab. I'd wipe the sweat off the inner glass to see if the rains had subsided. So, was it really better back then? Until next time, Good Fishing!