Weekly Recap; 9/15/25-9/21/25

Jordan DiVirgilio
Sep 22
5 min read

Happy to say that I had some time on the water.

Spent a lot of much needed time in Nature this week at some of my favorite spots. Even was able to harvest a variety of wild edibles and medicines.

I want to be very transparent here. At the beginning of the week, I had a mental breakdown. Not to go into details, but this lead me to have to miss work and spend several days on the mend.

Mental health is something that seems stigmatized and too “touchy” for most to talk about. Well, I think that is because most might view the sensitivity and vulnerability as weakness.

I myself succumb to that line of thinking at times, then I have to realize; in a world full of numb people, it is a blessing to be able to actually feel.

Looking back over the week, I know that I over extended myself and did not honor my boundaries and the time I need to focus on myself.

The world demands a lot from us, as I was saying in the last article. That is the trap I fell into. It truly got to the point where even though I was not feeling well mentally or physically, I still went into work because I was worried about “Not having enough money”- “What if I let them down?”- “Will I be in trouble if I don’t go in?”

At the end of the day, if I had realized that without my health, nothing else can really be done, then I would have taken a day off and allowed myself to recoup before it got to the point of exhaustion and emotion.

This is a hard lesson I keep having to learn. As someone who stays very busy and likes to get a lot done, it can be difficult to pause and slow down. So, this is the reminder to all who are reading this, take some time for yourself, the world will go on whether you partake in it or not that day.

So, I guess the next thing to talk about is what did I do to feel better?

Time in Nature is always essential, the week prior I did not prioritize that. This week had longer stints of time, more immersed than usual too.

Beyond that, I went to the coffee shop to work on art almost every day. I said to myself the one day, “What would I want someone else to do for me when I’m feeling low?” and the answer was “I’d like someone to buy me a coffee.”

That is exactly what I did for myself.

Sometimes when I am feeling real low and isolating, it is all about finding the small things you can do for yourself that improve your mood even mildly.

We sure had some great sunrises and sunsets this week. Which that also gives space for appreciation.

What edibles did I find this week?

Blue Vervain
Rose Hips
Ash Berry
Maitake Mushroom
Chicken of the Woods Mushroom
Black Walnut

A pretty nice list of Natures healing!

When you look at the photos, you’ll see where someone or something put a Walnut for safe keeping.

The first few on the list still need some processing into tinctures, teas and jams. The mushrooms will be revisited when ready to consume in a few days. (Hoping they are still available) The Walnuts were used to dye some fabric. (Stay tuned for that project)

Overall the theme of feeling better lines up with filling my basket instead of others. Seems simple enough, but it is something I struggle with often. I enjoy helping and being of service, but this is not possible if you run yourself thin.

The biggest win of the week was on Sunday. I had the opportunity to take out two of my former football teammates, Jake and Tyler, out fishing.

Both of them caught their first Walleye! Jake caught his on his first cast and thankfully that was not bad luck. We did go on an hour or so lull, but thankfully we dialed back in and got Tyler his only fish of the day right before he had to leave. Here are the details.

9/21/25 September

Upper Niagara River

Trip with Tyler & Jake

Air temp: 58°-82°

Water temp: 69°

Wind: SSE 5MPH-> SSW 6MPH

Conditions: Partly Cloudy

Depth fished: 2’-25’

Time fished: 8am-4pm

Water clarity: 1’ ; Grassy (floating)

Pattern: Summer

Best Zone: 12’; Rocks & Flats

Total caught: 6 Bass, 2 Walleye

The day started off slow with engine troubles, but we got it figured out! Thanks to the friendly Goose hunters at the launch, who told us to tighten the battery terminals on the battery and that was the ticket.

Jake ended up catching three bass and dropped one. The one he dropped was right after his Walleye and then he landed the first bass of the day shortly after!

I caught three bass as well. Two on a Spinnerbait and the rest of the fish were on the drop shot. Tyler’s Walleye was actually on the Ned Rig. This shocked me that the Ned did not catch a bass.

Right at the end of the day, we had a wild Musky encounter! I was reeling in my swimbait, as it was within eye sight this Musky started trailing it, all the way up to the boat and then I stopped reeling, and boom he ate it! Took off FAST and then I witnessed top tier acrobatics. It was not a trophy Musky but still a fish that is over 30” long. This fish came out of the water completely, I saw its whole body in air, but it did not flop at all, it was like a dolphin, just swam fast up, out of the water, air time, and then back to the depths.

As you can tell by the run sentences and paragraph, it was an EPIC sighting!

On the sustainability front, some things have crossed my mind lately, as they often do. I was thinking about the food I eat regularly and the waste that comes from it.

When it comes to food, eating whole food based is the only way to have next to no waste because you can compost it! Trust me, there is a much longer rant on this to come.

Yes, the art piece shown was inspired by the song Lonely Cowboy by Kaleo. This was my best representation, so far, of the scene it paints in my mind. Check it out and listen to the song and see what you think.

Song of the week;

Crystallized by Young the Giant

No Two Angles on Angling Podcast this week. We shall return next weekend.

Thank you for reading another article!

Tight lines and catch ya later!

Jordan H. DiVirgilio