Reel Mess Outdoors

08/29/2026

Watched this live on TV they cut the feed the second Dirty Duck went airborne needless up say me and Dakota screaming woke up Melissa Linder and yelled at us. But mother fu**er I think it was an appropriate response¡!¡!

08/29/2026

Back in 2024 we were down in Freeport, Texas, and there’s a damn good possibility we’ll be heading back that way this November.

One of the best parts? Something like 25 miles of beach we could rip around on in the SXS, which meant rip-a-roos were basically a daily activity.

Nothing like loading up, hitting the sand, and cruising the beach with nowhere in particular to be.

Wyoming will always be home, but Texas has definitely become our southern home base.

Can’t wait to get back down there, get the SXS back on the sand, and cruise the beach again.

08/28/2026

F**K THE COUCH, THERE ARE MONSTERS TO BE CAUGHT.

I was mentally prepared to kick it on the couch tonight and just chill. Then I remembered there are potentially giant, ugly, prehistoric-looking motherfu**ers swimming around right outside, so f**k that. WE’RE FISHING.

And tonight I managed to get Sadie down there with us.

We hit the dock, Dakota and Sadie both start catching bait, and before long the float line is out doing its thing. Now we wait for the monsters.

Dakota gets hooked up with a nice lil bass.

Splish splash, that dink goes back in the drink.

Meanwhile, Sadie decides she’s had enough fishing and starts plotting her escape back to the fifth wheel so she can watch something stupid on TV.

Absolutely f**king not.

“No. F**k you, f**k that, we’re fishing, dumbass.”

Rod goes back in her hand.

About five minutes later…

SHABOOBY!

Sadie is hooked up!

And just like that, she lands her FIRST FRESHWATER CHANNEL CAT!

Not a monster, but who gives a s**t — now there’s wind in Sadie’s sails and suddenly fishing doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

So naturally I start writing a quick Facebook post so everybody can get their daily dose of Reel Mess bulls**t.

I’m halfway through writing it when…

BADDA BING, BADDA BOOM — ANOTHER F**KING CAT IN THE NET.

Sadie is officially TWO CATS DEEP.

Now the sun is gone, the float line is out, the bait is swimming, and we wait in the darkness for the MONSTERS OF THE DEEP to come looking for dinner.

But monster or no monster, this s**t right here is why I love fishing.

I’ve enjoyed it damn near my entire life, and getting to share it with my family is pretty f**king awesome. Hopefully someday these girls get to sit beside somebody they love, hand them a fishing rod, and pass it all along again.

But for tonight… WE WAIT FOR MONSTERS.

**kTheCouch

08/27/2026

DAKOTA GOT IT F**KING DONE.

We got here Saturday afternoon, and I honestly can't remember if she got her line wet that first night—but it's been wet every damn night since.

The routine has been simple: catch little bluegill, put them out for flathead and longnose gar, and wait.

And wait.

Because I knew eventually it was gonna happen.

Today we headed up to the Strip early to check out the boats for the Shootout. And when I say early, I mean BEFORE the absolute nightmare of cars and people showed up. We were pulling out about the same time everybody else was piling in.

Why?

Because f**k traffic. F**k crowds. We're here for the boats, not the bulls**t.

Got back early, smashed some pulled pork sandwiches and smashed-up taters, and then it was time to get down on the water.

And Dakota is f**king dedicated.

She'll straight-up interrupt a conversation with:

"Hey, we need to get on the water."

Which is probably a good thing, because if you've ever met me, you know I'll sit there shooting the s**t until somebody starts shooting back.

So we got down there, got the lines out, and settled into the routine.

About an hour later, I look over and see line peeling off my favorite saltwater rig.

Ohhhhh s**t.

I knew immediately something decent had finally picked up that bluegill.

Gar are different. That long bony mouth makes hooking them a whole different game. Sometimes they're just holding the bait, and if you try to set the hook too early they'll drop the damn thing. You've gotta give them time to actually commit.

So I showed Dakota what to watch for.

When to wait.

When to tighten up.

And when it was finally time...

The rest of the story is sitting right there in that picture.

Dakota's FIRST LONGNOSE GAR.

ALMOST FOUR F**KING FEET OF IT.

There's video too, but I've had a long-ass day and don't much care about editing it tonight. 😂 That s**t can wait.

Tonight I'm just proud as hell of this kid.

She put in the time. She kept getting her line wet. She waited for her shot.

And when it finally came, she got it f**king done.

That's fishing.

That's my girl.

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

Last night, Dakota was back at it.

Since we got to Lake of the Ozarks, Dakota has been hitting the water multiple times a day trying to track down either a catfish or one of those prehistoric-looking longnose gar swimming around out there.

Her master plan so far?

Catch tiny bluegill — we're talking less than 3 inches — throw one under a float, and hope something considerably larger decides to commit a f**king felony.

Well, she's down there catching bluegill when...

BLAMO — FISH ON!!!

A small channel cat absolutely smokes her bait.

Before I can get there to help, Dakota decides she's just gonna flip his ass straight onto the dock.

Bad f**king decision.

That cat starts shaking its head and just as fast as he was on...

HE GONE.

Dakota was PI**ED.

But much like that stupid dating website used to tell us, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Or river.

Whatever the f**k.

Is Plenty of Fish even still a thing? Did anybody ever actually find a real relationship on that damn website, or was the entire thing basically Craigslist personals with profile pictures?

ANYWAYS...

Dakota says, "I'm putting a HUGE chunk of nightcrawler on here and I'm catching that thing."

Alright then. Send it.

About this time Sadie comes RUNNING down the ramp to the dock.

And when I say ramp, understand what we're dealing with here.

The top of this bastard is about 25 FEET ABOVE THE WATER and it's roughly 50 FEET LONG, running all the way down to the floating dock.

So when Sadie comes charging down that motherfu**er at full speed, all 50 feet of ramp starts transferring that energy directly into our little floating fishing platform.

I'm standing there feeling like I'm on a container ship getting the back-door treatment from f**king Godzilla.

The whole damn dock is bouncing.

I'm bouncing.

Dakota's bouncing.

I'm pretty sure the f**king Osage River changed elevation.

And APPARENTLY...

THIS ATTRACTS FISH.

Because right in the middle of the Sadie-induced maritime disaster...

BAZINGA!!! FISH ON, BABY!!!

Dakota's rod bends over and this time Dad learned from round one.

GET THE F**KING NET.

No dock-flipping bulls**t. No giving this little bastard a second chance.

I scoop him up, get him safely onto the dock, and there it is.

It might not be a monster.

It might not be one of the absolute HOGS I know are swimming around out there.

But it IS Dakota's first freshwater catfish ever.

And judging by that smile, it might as well have been a damn 70-pounder.

Pretty f**king proud girl-dad moment right there.

Now we just gotta figure out whether the secret to catching giant Ozark catfish is bluegill, nightcrawlers...

or having Sadie sprint down a 50-foot ramp like a goddamn depth charge.

The hunt continues.

08/25/2026

Found another one from the vault.

4th of July week 2025 at Lake Powell — me and Dakota doing our version of the “Dad Quit Drinking BORG on the Boat” video. Never put this one on Facebook, so here ya go.

I definitely enjoy my beerzies and the occasional BORG when I’m on the water, but boating drunk is dangerous as f**k. Especially when the end of the day involves getting a rental boat back on a trailer at that ridiculous Antelope Point Marina launch after you ain’t done it in a year.

Good times, dumb videos, responsible boating. More old s**t from the vault coming.

Reelmess Dan Melissa Linder

08/25/2026

HOLY S**T — 2.2K FOLLOWERS!!

Seriously, THANK YOU to every single one of you who has followed Reel Mess Outdoors! 2,200 followers is a big f**king deal to us.

We started this page just sharing our adventures, disasters, questionable decisions, and whatever the hell happens along the way. Somehow, 2.2K of you decided you wanted to stick around and watch the mess unfold — and we appreciate the hell out of you!

Now we need a little favor from the Reel Mess crew:

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO FOLLOW OUR PAGE!

If you've got friends who are into:

- Outdoors fu**ery
- Family shenanigans
- Fishing, camping, SXSing, paddleboarding & exploring
- Full-time RV life and traveling around the country
- Two stupid dogs who regularly steal the show
- Original, occasionally unhinged recipes inspired by the places we visit
- Watching a family successfully fail its way through whatever dumb idea comes next

SEND 'EM OUR WAY!

We're having an absolute blast building Reel Mess Outdoors, and we're just getting started.

Thank you for getting us to 2.2K! Now let's see how many more weirdos we can bring into this mess.

Invite your friends. Share the page. Come along for the ride.