I grew up in Nebraska and Minnesota. My family never had a boat so I fished rivers and lakeshores. I broke my first fishing pole the very first time I used it while fishing a bullhead hole on the Minneopa River in Minnesota. The pole had a flashy plastic red handle, a three-foot white fiberglass rod, and a Zebco 202 reel. Expecting to catch a ten-inch bullhead, the pole broke on a five-pound carp! I landed that carp and my heart was crushed when my Dad told him people don’t eat carp. The rivers in Minnesota at least had some size to them. Many of the rivers in Nebraska that I fished could either be jumped across or waded through. I would sein minnows, set lines for catfish, and play in the river while he waited for the fish to bite.
In my adult life, I have lived in Missouri, Hawaii, New York and Arkansas. All places with great water, but very different places to try to master fishing. Due to these differences and all the other interests in my life that constantly distract me, I have never become a master fisherman. I joined the Greers Ferry Walleye Club to learn from others and to contribute to the GFWC.