As a kid growing up on the South side of Chicago I would look for opportunities to go fishing and would often make my own opportunity by skipping school maybe more than I should have—and go fishing at a local park trading small Bluegills with Hobos who would live in the park and share some of their homemade beverages with us; sometimes with a minnow bucket in one hand and the other on my motor scooter handle bar my cousin and I would be off to Marquette Park; maybe go to Lake Michigan on the bus and fish for Jumbo Perch off of Navy Pier; we would get these weird stares on the bus ride coming home with a stringer full of Perch still alive on the seat next to us; during the summer my Grandparents would invite my brother and I to go fishing in Wisconsin at their cabin.
Later as a teenager on 3-day weekends we would often drive to Northern Wisconsin and catch Crappie and Northern Pike.
After I joined the military we would go fishing wherever we were stationed; Germany; Taiwan; and even Egypt; we caught Walleye in Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Wyoming, North and South Dakota even Georgia; stationed at Grand Forks AFB North Dakota in the 80’s we fished Devils Lake and fell in love with the 5-pound plus Walleye’s we would catch.
My mom was my best fishing buddy and was the best Walleye angler I ever fished with; Mom put more large walleye in my boats livewell than any other angler; her methods were unconventional but the results would have been good enough to win many tournaments.
A couple of years ago my neighbor Jim and I decided to start a walleye club here due to the lack of information on the location of walleyes within the lake, and reluctance of anglers to share information, so we developed our Clubs Core Values of Education; Sharing; and Partnering. I am glad we started the Greers Ferry Walleye Club because the results and support has been phenomenal!