Category: Kayaking/Fishing

Fishing Team: Dave Miller, Eugene Miller

Date: June 1977

We stayed at a fishing lodge camping in a small cabin on the shore of the backwaters around the Withlachoochee River in west central Florida. We rented a fishing boat three days and caught about ten total fish. We would anchor and drop our bait among floating hyacinth plants. One time as my father reeled in his minnow a pelican swooped down and picked it out of the water and flew off. The minnow’s hook got caught in the pelicans mouth and my dad had to reel in the large bird. Dad had to cut the fishing line to let the bird go. The next day a bite and could tell it weighed a lot. After twenty minutes I finally got my catch close enough to see it – it was a two foot long alligator. We just cut the line to let it go. That night the fishing camp owner caught a six foot water moccasin snake near our cabin. On the third day I got a bite and reeled in a 5.5 pound bass.

Expedition Team: Dave Miller

Date:  1991 & 1994

Rosie and I went water skiing with friends several times to Lake Cumberland and occasionally I had opportunities to fish off the dock.  Using nightcrawlers as bait, one time I caught a 25 pound German carp (Photo #1) and another time caught two bass (Photo#2). Jacque (Photo#3) enjoyed sitting at the dock and watch me fish.

Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Matt Miller, Holly Miller

Date: September 1996, September 30, 1997, October 1998, 2009

When we spend a week at our time share condo at Ormond Beach we often drive south seven miles just past Daytona Beach Lighthouse Museum on Ponce Inlet where the Critter Fleet Fishing Boats on are docked. These are group charter fishing boats as about 20 to 25 people deep sea fish at one time. For the half day charter we travel 10 to 20 miles from shore. The crew provides us slimy, cut up squid. We put a piece on our hook and drop it overboard until it hits the bottom of the ocean. Matt enjoyed fishing from a young age & went with me every time. Matt’s best outing was catching 11 grunts and snappers. I caught 6 grunts that day but let a large dolphinfish off my hook when it swam under the boat. Holly joined us once and although she got sea sick, she caught a beautiful four pound red snapper.  My last charter in 2009 I caught 9 yellow striped grunts. On a different day fishing on the Inland Waterway, while pelicans constantly tried to steal shrimp bait from our shrimp bucket, Matt caught an eight inch jewfish (Photo#4).

Fishing Team:  Matt Miller, Nick Salyers

Date: June 2010

Although I didn’t join this expedition, I include it in my adventures because son Matt caught an enormous 42 pound blue catfish using chicken liver as bait. It took Matt 20 minutes to land it. Nick also caught a large shovelhead catfish. Matt is such a better fisherman than me and specializes in catching big catfish.

Fishing Team: Matt Miller, Dave Miller

Date: June 21, 2010

This was the first time I took our boat to this one mile long, 185 acre lake. I caught three small catfish. Matt caught a large catfish.  

Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller

Date: July 4, 2014

I retired the first of the year and had a “good” week from chemo so we took the SS Breakwind out on the Miami River to view the City of Moraine’s Independence Day Fireworks. This is the first time I did not have to be in charge of the event or work it since 1979. We steered the boat from the Moraine boat ramp about 1.5 miles south and anchored above the WC low dam. What a great, different perspective to listen to and view the 24 minutes display. Observed beautiful fireworks reflections off of the water.

Kayaking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Jacque Kelly

Date:  August 2017 

While kayaking the Ohio River Paddlefest, we neared the end of the ten mile trip.  About 4.5 miles west of the Great American Ballpark on the south or Kentucky side of the Ohio River was a boat wreck.  I paddled across the wide Ohio River to observe it and snapped several photos. I did not see a name on the boat. Once the pandemic is over, I want to return and discovery the name of the mystery boat and how it wrecked.

Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Doug Saunders

Date: 2015 & 2016

Twice I was invited to join Doug and his friends to go walleye fishing on Lake Erie. The first charter boat trip we caught our maximum amount which was 36 walleye (six per person).  The Captain constantly kept track so we did not float over and fish in Canadian waters. The second trip we fished for 7 hours total and caught 42 sheephead and white bass (the white bass was tough but still good eating) and 26 walleye.  For about 30 minutes we fished about 1/2 mile out from Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial (Photo#4) on Put-In-Bay Island. The big prize was catching a 10 pound, 30.5 inch trophy walleye.  We took our catch to a local fish cleaning building which was the worst smelling place I have ever been in. But they cleaned and packaged the fish for us and I had lots of fish to take home and eat for weeks.

Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Matt Miller, Jacque Miller, Holly Miller, Shane Miller

Date: July 2005

We registered with Barker-Ewing Whitewater and took an 8 mile white water rafting trip down the beautiful Snake River Canyon with our guide Bernie.  Class III rapids such as Big Kahuna, Lunch Counter and Ropes tossed us about and gave us an exciting bumpy and wet ride. Shane and Holly almost got thrown out several times. During the slower sections of the river the scenery was beautiful. At one point, Matt and Dave jumped in and cruised through a fast but not so rough swimmer’s rapid.

After the rafting I grabbed a local newspaper and discovered just days before the annual Young Eagles free airplane rides for kids was held at Jackson Hole Airpark (our kids participated many times at the Moraine Airpark). One pilot who lives near Jackson Hole was Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, who gave many free rides. What a treat that would have been to have been here for that.

Expedition Team:  Dave Miller, Rosie Miller           Expedition Date:   July 6, 2018

Our final day at Denali National Park.  While Rosie hiked with most of the G Adventures group, me and four others took the eleven mile white water raft ride down the Nenana River Canyon on the northeast edge of the national park.  We wore thicker waterproof outer garments and boots to protect us from the cold river water. 

Moose were drinking in the river as our raft cruised by. The white water was intense most of the trip with several big holes.  It was a fun adventure.  In the photo of the raft, I am in the very front.