About Me

Hi, my name is David Merical.  Welcome to my blog, "FishnDave".

FishnDave is my moniker on a handful of fishing-related web forums.  The nickname was bestowed upon me by my best friend's Dad, who knew I loved to catch fish and would occasionally inquire "How's Fishin' Dave doing?".  It stuck.

I was born in 1968 (do the math), have an older brother and sister.  I'm married and have 2 children, a girl and a boy.  I've lived in central Iowa my entire life, excluding a 7-year hiatus to north-central Illinois.

I have a BS degree from Iowa State University, major in Biology and minor in Fish & Wildlife Biology.  My goal at the time was to pursue Fisheries Biology as a career.  During college I had worked on campus doing aquaculture research on walleyes.  Following graduation, there just weren't fisheries related job openings, so I pursued other avenues of employment.

But my love of fishing continues to grow.  I have been an active Member of Central Iowa Anglers since 2005.  I was elected to 2 terms as President of the club, and am currently serving my second elected term on its Board of Directors.

I have taken a HUGE liking to fly-fishing.  I will fly-fish for just about ANY species with fly gear.  I do still keep some spinning gear on hand for those times when it is the best option.  I never thought I would become a fly-tyer, but once I caught the fly-fishing bug, I quickly realized if I wanted to keep stocks of flies on hand that worked for the species I was chasing, I would NOT be able to rely on the few local stores that carried flies, and would have to tie my own.  I enjoy tying flies, though I have to admit I tie them for catching fish, and not for catching people.  That's my way of saying,"I could improve my tying skills."

I've been fishing pretty seriously for the better part of the last 35 years, and I'm STILL LEARNING.
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Update: I moved from central Iowa to St. Louis, Missouri, in July 2020.  Lots of learning where to fish and what to fish for!