I Stayed Busy. They Kept Growing.
Joshua "Trapper" Jones
I grew up in northwest Iowa around Black Hawk Lake.
Water was always where things slowed down for me.
Where conversations happened.
Where time felt different.
I didn’t know it then… but that’s where a lot of this started.
I’ve been married to my wife Tonya for 28 years.
She’s been steady through everything — building businesses, raising our boys, and all the seasons in between.
We have two sons — Aidan and Micah.
Being their dad is the most important thing in my life.
I’ve run a business since 2004.
Long days. Pressure. Responsibility.
I know what it’s like to carry that weight.
A lot of dads do.
And somewhere along the way, I realized something…
Providing matters.
But being there matters more.
So I started taking my boys on trips.
Not perfect trips.
Not big, planned-out experiences every time.
Just intentional time.
Some were fishing trips.
Some were short.
Some were just getting out for a few hours.
But they were ours.
No rushing.
No distractions.
Just time together.
And those moments did something.
They built trust.
They built connection.
They gave us something that lasts.
I’ve spent a lot of my life around fishing.
I’ve competed. I’ve chased it at a high level.
But I learned something from that too:
The trophies fade.
The time doesn’t.
My dad has been gone for over 20 years now.
But what he gave me never left.
He couldn’t wait to take me fishing.
And whether he knew it or not…
that shaped everything.
Now I’ve passed that on to my boys.
And one day, they’ll have the chance to pass it on too.
That’s how this works.
It carries forward.
Trip With Dad didn’t come from an idea.
It came from living it.
From working long days…
and choosing to make time anyway.
From seeing what happens when a dad just shows up.
This isn’t about perfect trips.
It’s not about fishing.
It’s not about having it all figured out.
It’s about being intentional.
It’s about showing up.
It’s about making sure your kids know:
You were there.
You saw them.
They mattered.
If you’re a dad trying to figure this out…
You belong here.
