Okay you talked to me okay yep you want me to shut them shades
Let's take me back to when you're a little kid wins. Did you grow up fishing? Was the family
Fishing I had a part of your life from birth on. Oh, yeah, yep. We started. Oh gosh
As far as I can remember we were in diapers yet and then there is one
one little story that
That rings a bell is
My brother Mikey
He liked he liked to poop his pants a lot and yep, and it was in the spring time
And I that is one thing that I remember that he just grabbed them and dunk them right over to over the boat to wash his butt off
Yep, that's that's not a lie. If my brother was here right now. He would tell you yelp daddy did that
so
Yeah, that is
Yeah, we started pretty young and and actually where we were today. That's in a
Pretty close in the same area is where we that that's where they fished back then in the
In this that would be in the 80s, you know that I can remember, you know, so was that trolling back then too?
No, it was all jig and
It's it's kind of weird. I actually our family was a jigging family
up until oh
gosh when I
probably
I don't know probably 16 17, you know, I started tournaments when I was 17 what my dad while I weekend and then
Every pretty much from there to now that it's been tournament time
You know for me. So
Yeah, the late back fishing going out there is I
That that really doesn't consist, you know a system I like or in in my world
You know, it's just competition all the time, you know, and it's hard to change that now
But when you think of people that say oh, yeah
I just go out the boat and have a few beers and relax and if we catch them get a bite, you know, I mean that you that doesn't even
Register with you. Well, we still drink beer in the boat when we're
Well, we're fishing, you know pre-fishing anyways, but yeah, it's
It's fun. It either way. It's fun even if if I'm alter, you know
Even like today that we were just having fun
But I was actually still pre-fishing because I have a tournament this weekend. So there was a reason why you know
But because I fishing tournaments every weekend. So that's why it's
It's not just a leisure thing to go out there and do, you know, yeah
I'm sure I will get that, you know soon, you know
Sometimes soon, but no, but it's just it's all tournaments for me these days
But was it always walleye or were there other fish that you'd like to go in for when you were younger?
Nope, just walleye is in sturgeon. That's it that everything else. I
Mean obviously you've seen today everything bit it doesn't matter, you know, obviously you're catching whatever it comes
But but yeah targeting yes walleye a hundred percent. Yep. I'm not a bass guy
Not a not a hunter
What is that a thousand and one casts or whatever they say with that musky stuff?
But no, no no patience for that at all and no patience for jigging anymore
But yeah, but jigging was it was fun when we were younger that was
We were pretty what we did pretty well at it
You know we my dad and I and my brother and my dad and my brother and I and my other brother Jason
Yeah, we jigged a lot, you know a lot on a long point, you know and we did very well
We took a lot of first, you know, we were always in the top, you know jigging but
but then I met some buddies like oh
boy, you know like Mikey blank and you know
Just a bunch of guys that you know scotch warts and all them. Yeah, they're all trollers, you know, and they always have been trollers
And yeah, so I kind of jumped on that wagon with them and yeah, and I
Do pretty well. I'm not bragging, but I do pretty well doing that. So
Yeah, that's where I'm at now
So you said you started tournaments when you were 17 was that in part because that was that you that was when you realized
Hey, I'm pretty good at this or was that just there were enough tournaments available. Oh, yeah
There was a lot of bar to actually at that time
There it was pretty much just walleye weekend if I remember right maybe out of street, but yeah a lot of local bar tournaments
And yeah on the east side here. I mean we had quite a few of them
so and
And my dad was was a big fisherman when he was a little boy because my grandpa, you know
Did it a lot of perch fishing too and oh we did two one we were kids with my grandpa
You know before tournament days, but and that was always fun. We always
We'd always joke around with them and you know tie a line on
On their line and then sit up in front of the boat and jerk it like they got a bite
And they'd be like them little sons of bitches, you know, and yeah, I remember all them days, but yeah, that was fun
but yeah, it's
Yeah, if I could go back I would I wouldn't mind
It was fun. It was fun. But so then as you've got older
How did you find that balance between having to work
And having to fish and just like where did fishing fall in terms of like priorities for life?
Yeah
Well, if you ask my family and my brother yeah, the priorities went over to fishing a little bit more
Especially especially to last
You know probably five years, you know
We're getting older
You know plus we own our own business. That's a little bit easier
You know for guys to take off to go pre-fishing, but there's sometimes where we don't pre-fish and we do very well
We just we like to play the wind, you know, there's there's a bunch of times that we we don't even go out there
Or even if we did go pre-fishing, we don't even go to that spot because of the wind direction when a bagel
You got to play the wind
As best as you can, you know, and there's times where yeah, like I said
We didn't even pre-fish that spot
Like last year my son goes where are we going today? I said, I don't know wait till we get out to the buoys
Let's do that. So and I said, okay, we're going up by mud creek
Do you pre-fish at nope and we ended up taking third
So it's it's all wind stuff with that but
Obviously there's a lot of
There's an element of equipment. Yep. There's an element of knowledge and there's an element of luck
How do you balance off those?
Well
Boy, that's a tough one
Yeah, there's there's definitely luck in it that that's hands down. It's got to be
I mean, obviously you've seen that today. That just doesn't happen. That was pure luck
today, but
I would say I mean, yeah, you got to be good at it to even even have a chance
And I don't know if that makes sense, but
You got to be good at it to have a chance to be lucky
I don't know if that makes sense or not, but
Yeah, yeah, you just got a in its years of experience. You got to have that, you know
I don't expect anybody just to go out there right now
You know that hasn't fished in golden catch fish because it's tough
For the pros and you know the guys that grew up on the lake
You know, especially like when a bagel everybody knows that one. It's it's just hitting this, you know
One day they're there one day they're not, you know, that's normal for here, but uh
Yeah
Yeah, you got a you got to have experience experience for this, you know to
To do it and it and it comes, you know, the competitive part of it
is where
The experience comes in
The more you do the more you learn and the more, you know
The more you learn because you're you're struggling to get if you're struggling to catch fish
You're going to do different techniques blah blah blah back, you know, and then you just that's all you learn, you know
To be better. So luck is just
Luck just falls into play, you know, what what luck means is if
To me
Okay, so so it's totally different when you're not pre or when you're pre-fishing, okay
Um like today that fish or any fish any day
You could when we're pre-fishing, we don't like the net so we're just hanging it all
Because there's a bolt next to you
So we're just hanging onto that fish until they're looking away and you go down and grab it instead of netnet
And you can you know that fish will stay on
But in a tournament that does not happen at all
I say if it's hard to even get them like like uh last week of my partner Mikey and I we fished a series and
um
Yeah, two of them two of them 20 inches. They got off immediately when I netted them. It was like
That and it was they were called they were already in the net or off in the net
That's lucky, you know, but yeah, but that yeah, it's
You got to have a lot of luck
Do you look at the difference between
taking first or taking third
Is that difference often luck or is that more skill?
And then is it more skill that plays out in the fact that you took third and third and third and third like every time you're consistent
When you're consistent. Yeah. Yeah
usually
Usually I would say if you have a good day out of the boat and you'd say, oh, we've got we've got a good basket
Here and you're coming in and you end up third. Are you like, oh, like I just got lucky in me or just is it just that's how it goes?
That's just how it goes. That's just the name of the game there who catches as a biggest or a bigger one
Um, but yeah, if you're if you're always in the top 15, you know, depending in the bigger tournaments
If you're in the top 15, you're doing pretty you should be proud of yourself
Definitely 100 percent. I mean because you're you know, all the mostly the main tournaments that we always fish
You're fishing against the big dogs, you know, the ones that that are pro pro fishermen's that's all they do that that's their job
You know, I can't consider myself a pro fisherman because I got a job. I still got to work
So
You know, yeah, maybe in a few years when I retire that that that that option is up on the table for that
And guiding and stuff like that. But yeah, no, you should be definitely proud of yourself if you
If you're in the top 15, you know, especially out of the 300 tournament boats, you know
Even if you make the top 50 out of 300 350 that's very good
You're doing you're doing excellent, you know, and if you do it year after year after year, you know, which
You know that happens, you know, and yeah
That's
Yeah, that's going back to that other being luckier experience. I that's that's all experience for sure
You know, you know what you're doing, you know, everything's got to come play together
but
Yeah, I would say experience all day long, but so we've seen you in the boat
And if you see it see it starting to fish is on there
At what point are you most excited versus most nervous or anxious?
So like because there's a lot of emotions in that whole maybe three-minute sequence. Yeah
Yeah, well the first thing that when I get
Well
It's when the board goes back and how the board goes back and how it reacts then
Because I pretty much know what it's going to be so
That's when I get that's when I start getting, you know, start reeling it in and then that board's popping away and
Helping it's just laying back there and all it's solid weight
Then that that's when I start getting nervous, you know, hey, hey, you know, and then we're talking to each other and
Oh, yeah, you know, don't screw this one up, you know, and
Whatever, but it stuff happens, you know, and it happened to me, you know a couple of well a few times
It happens to everybody where you where you miss a fish or you hit it with the net on the outside and it gets hooked in the crank
And then it yeah
Yeah, then we're them are tough times when I have that happens, but yeah
Other than that as you're as you're bringing it in are you getting
More and more anxious before you're about to net it or are you getting more and more excited once you can finally
Like get a sense of like, oh, it's close now it's starting to pull down
Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, then I get that I really get nervous like what like today
When that fish was just going to want to go down down and down
Normally that doesn't happen in deep water like that
That like that
Intense, I mean that was I haven't really seen that a whole lot
Unless we're in shallow water three feet because you can only go so far down you get they go out
But yeah, that's when I get that's when I start getting nervous. Yeah
But so when do you actually get excited?
Oh when the fish is on the floor and then I got a I got a little issue where I get a little too nervous and I
And I start driving even a little bit here and there, you know, everybody knows that that that
All my partners
And actually that happened last week and when we had them 220s because I won was really fat
It looked like it looked like a 23 24, but it was only 21 and 3 quarter, but it was
It really girthy
Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah, I started gagging a little bit there, but yeah, that's that's when I get nervous
Yeah, and then I start shaking a little bit and
Yeah, you know, done were good times. That's
That's when I'm pumped up when that happens, you know
anytime actually
Especially in a tournament that's
You know, that doesn't really happen when I'm pre-fishing. It's just when you're competing today is the day
No screw-ups pay attention
You know, that's where the nerves kick in and has that changed over the years? I mean
The reaction that we see is that any different from you today than it was when you were 17 or 20 or 30?
Oh, yeah, yeah, that's a little
Yeah, that's a little different. Yeah, that does
This probably didn't start really kicking into probably both. I don't know 10 maybe 10 15 years ago
when
My partner and I stoned the one that passed away
We were getting we were hitting tournaments pretty pretty hard. We were
We were going all over
All kinds of different states and stuff and we were we were getting into it pretty heavy and then uh
Yeah, that's when it was when everything was getting more intense, you know and more nerve-wracking more money
Involved into it
Yeah, pretty much
No, it wasn't my whole life. No, I was more calmer and
17 probably 17 to 30 for sure. I was you know
Younger so that's that yeah, but now now it's
Nothing will change now. No more. I don't think I will be able to calm down anymore
But it's but it's to drive. I love it. I love it
I told I I thought I was going to quit a few times because uh
Different
situations going on in my life, but no
They tell all my buddies all my fish and uh buddies say
You're not it's in your blood junior. You're gonna that's that's it. You're in it. You're you're never gonna quit until
Until you're done, you know until you're dead. It's just gonna that's the way you are, you know, and it's like yeah, that's hard
It's hard, but it's just the way it's gonna be and I like it so
So tell me about your your partner. He's a relative, right? Uh, yeah like uh second cousin
Yeah, yep. He grew up in uh, st. cloud, wisconsin
And I well I grew up in pike pike, uh, pike, wisconsin. So
Um
So when did you start fishing with him regularly? Yeah, that that's probably I don't know it'd be about 18
Give or take I was thinking about that and it's so hard to remember because we fish so
So many times together
Uh, because like why I actually lived with them too also
It's got to be right around 18 20 years that we've been that we've fished together and we did a lot of
Yeah, we did a lot of tournaments and we were we were pretty we were a pretty good team. We were
We were kind of unstoppable, you know, it was
you know
It was tough to beat us but
But
In the reason, you know, we always were thinking what each person was thinking each other was thinking
You know, if I was thinking of a color of a bait, he already had it on
Or vice versa and I'd ask him did you do this
That's already out there
Or did you did you put a bottom on so it's on the first board, you know
And I won't even because I'm paying attention when I'm doing and we just know each other and fished
Like we were brothers or like we were I should say like we were twins
Like we're thinking everything identically the same and it's it's kind of creepy
But that's just how it went, you know, and I lost a good I lost the best partner ever
I mean and everybody knows that, you know, and he was best friends with life
everybody, you know, he was a good guy but
And then cancer came along and and then he was doing then he wasn't doing good and for
You know, a few years and then then it was doing then it was going away and then all of a sudden
You know, that would have been three years ago. No. Yeah, he was passed
Two years ago. He passed away in February 18th if I remember right and then
Uh, yeah, then it came back
Us he had a spot in between his uh his heart and his lung
And uh, yeah, that just that that took him it
Yeah, that that was they conquered that one no more
But yeah, he had at first he had limped known and all of us, you know
That was doing better, you know, and they pretty much had it gone if I remember right but
Yeah, then all of a sudden this one this one came about and that crushed it because it was too close to his heart and
You know, that was sad. That was sad. That's hard
Were you still able to fish with him in those last few years?
uh, not
I think two years prior
If I remember every two years prior that that we actually did
he yes, yep, yes, we did because we had a fishing tournament in segan obey and
He still went he was feeling okay, but his arms
You know, they were they were pretty tough on him, but uh
Um, I was gonna say
Yeah, so we knew about the spot before this and
He was a pretty quiet guy. He didn't he didn't say a whole lot and he didn't he didn't bitch. He didn't uh, um, how do you say that?
Want anybody to feel sorry for him. He just
Even though he was in so much pain. He just acted like he wasn't in pain, you know, but that yeah
I think that I think that was pretty much the last tournament and
Yeah, and actually we
And it sucks and now looking back at that. I wish
We missed the ring. We were in uh, I think it was an nwt ntc or something like that
And uh, we missed the ring. Um, it was by like three or four ounces
um
And that would have been that would have been super nice, you know, being
We didn't know that was the last tournament for him, but
But it was so close, you know, we took 26 and we had to be in 25th, you know, and that's odd
I don't I think there was I don't even know how many bullets was an ad 400 or something and it was on and it was on us
Um
Which be it was an again, uh
Yeah, that was up in
Up in uh, michigan upper michigan or whatever. So yeah, that was uh
And we never fished it before and we went out there just talking to people going to different bars
You know when we went for supper talking to them and
Bullshit and with them trying to get a little bit of information here and there and stuff and and it worked it. It was
Yeah, and we did pretty well, you know and never fishing in
um
100 200 feet and put or 300 feet and put you know pulling them out of there. It's pretty neat
Then you got to fizzle them. Yeah, you got to take a you have to get a needle
because
They they're uh, they're uh, they're air sacks that are inside their belly
They'll blow up, you know kill the fish because you can't kill, you know, they got to be alive
So then you got to take a you got to take a needle. You just go to your local, you know
um hospital and just get little needles and then you
Seven over and seven up
Scales, you know from the butt seven over and then seven up and then you poke it in or but you have to have it underneath the water
And then you and then you just rub the belly and then the bubbles will come come right out
And then just like that that fish that fishes upside down
It flips right back over and like it's like it's brand new life. Yeah, it's pretty neat. It's a whole different extreme
Up there, uh, just like salt Dakota. That's that's a different character up there. That's deep water
But yeah, you pull them out of there. You got to do that too. So
Yeah, so
After you passed, what was that like for you to have to try and go back out there without him
I know that you know that partner was gone
Well, that was that was uh one of the things I was saying before situations where that I didn't want to do it no more
um
But I
I know that
He went to want to meet a quit, you know, because that's what we love, you know, but
um
Yeah, it was tough. It was tough. It was super tough and all my friends were supportive and helped me out and
You know, kick me in the kick me nast a little bit and hey
You know, you got to get get it
You know, we understand, you know, it's hard
And it was hard super hard
but no, I got back in it and
And actually I still have
Stones ashes in my boat. So he's with me every day, you know, and there's times where my son and I
You know, we're going and we're doing good or whatnot
And he just opened up the he'd open up the glove box
So stone could watch, you know, or just make it little jokes, you know, but usually every every tournament that we're in
Either whoever I'm fishing with mikey blank
Scott Schwartz, you know, um my buddies
You know, all my buddies
When we go out there, we always we got two actually we got two good buddies that passed away
Louis Voigt
And jason gable also, but every time we go out, we always look up when we're on the way out, you know, hey
Come on boys. Give it get us a couple today, you know, and in it
That is luck that you know, but it in it in it where it seems to be helping a little bit
So it that matters, but yes, we pray to we pray to them pretty much every day
I call it net lake, you know, especially during the tournament that's
We're always talking about them, you know stories always
Stories will never die never ever ever
you know and
They're talked about a lot and
and by by different people in different bars, you know
You know, oh you remember so-and-so and you know, yeah
Yeah, all the good times, but yeah, that was tough that
That was super tough to get back in the boat, you know, because then you sit there
And then you look over and he's not there
Or he's not telling me to do what what we did for years, you know, it's like
like my son, you know, maybe tell me to do this, you know, because
You know, it's a it was a hundred percent total different change, you know, yes, my son knows what he's doing fishing. I taught him that
Nothing wrong with them, you know
Very good. All my buddies are good. They're they're all pro fishermen. They're all I love them all, you know
But yeah, no, that was tough, but I'm over that I'm over that now, you know
Well, there's it seems like it's mostly
They're good. Yeah, and we really didn't have no I mean a few times
We we yelled at each other, but it was
You catch a fish and then you're fist pumping
That just went away. They went, but I we forgot about that or we'd have a beer and then oh, yeah, you know, no, we're having fun, whatever
Yeah, no, it's
Yeah, they're like I said earlier that
He was a quiet guy. I mean when I first met him when I first asked him to fish a tournament with me and it was the ntcmwc
Um, actually that plaque is out there so then I could tell you exactly but um
the year
He owned a bar. He owned a bar. It was called fat boys in St. Cloud, Wisconsin
And I walked into the bar and he's a pretty quiet guy. So he just sits down
He's just he mines his own business, whatever and I sat next to him and and then he I remember him looking over at me
He goes, what's up? They said what's going on today?
Just got don't work, whatever blah blah blah. I said I got a question for you
He goes, what's that? He goes, well, would you like to like like to start fishing with me in tournaments and stuff and I said
There's one coming up and it's a big one. Just wondering if you'd want to be interested
and he goes
Well, give me a few days. I'll think about it and uh, yeah, we drank or he didn't say another word after that
If he drank the beer had a couple beers, whatever and I left and then he called me a couple days later and he goes
Yeah, let's do it, you know and
And then uh, we had a couple sponsors. I asked my uncle Dave burger. He owns day mark
medals and
Yeah, he sponsored us and a couple other team, you know, like river house. He was always my sponsor and then uh
Yeah, we ended up fishing that tournament and we and we did we did pretty well for the first time fishing together
We actually took six place that I do remember
Yeah, and
That's pretty much when it started then we were we were hooked then we went out and got a bunch of sponsors mercury
You name it all over the place and that's all that ended up, you know
Us fishing together. So that was that was pretty cool
One of the things that we're we're interested in is the the relationships that exist in the book
That are created in a book whether it's between, you know, presence or spouses or friends
But there's there's a different relationship that comes out of people that spend that time
Yeah. Oh, yeah, you you come closer and closer. You know the more time you spend, you know in a relate
And and I guess it doesn't matter who
Anybody's with you know, you're you're you're having fun. You're out fishing
You know, yeah, there's times where or you know, you dumb
You know, it's just it it is what it is
But family, you know, and I always fish with family that's that's all the time, you know, my whole family fishes
um
And uh, no, it's just
Yeah between between friends friends and family. It's it's about the same for me
I treat everybody the same, you know, I don't I don't yell too much
Not
I don't even yell at my guys at work and it just it's not me. You know, we always have fun out there
You know, I mean and obviously you've seen that, you know a few times, you know, and then there's always stuff that happens
It seems they happen to me, but
But yeah, but it makes it interesting. I love it. But yeah, it's always I love having family on the boat. You know, my son
This year, I didn't get to fish with him too much
I fish with my partner step
Kevin Shafer
Majority to this week but or this year but next year
I'll fish more with my son. Um
Yeah, because he's been fishing with other guys and the little
The little poop he's he's he beat me a few times, but but he's he's got to remember who taught him and who showed him the spots
Where to go? So
Yeah, but he always he gives me a little hard time on that, but I'm just proud of him
You know, because when I can't do it no more
He's gonna take my spot and I want him to be like I was, you know
Definitely 100% you know, but and I hope he gets his daughter into it also Addison
Yeah, I just I hope it keeps going on and like my brother Jason
My brother Jason. He's got he's got how many kids, you know, and they they all like to fish too
You know, so
The gable name. Yeah, we're key
We got kids all through that and hopefully it will take our spots someday
so
yeah, so
We've we've heard that there are obviously some husband and wife teams that there are people that fish together and there's
Plenty of words a couple of friends or siblings or something
It when it comes to relationships, how do you manage a relationship when your your spouse or your partner doesn't want to fish
Oh, would it be possible for you to date someone?
Or is it depending on is that a conflict sometimes?
Why are you married to the boat?
All right. Well, yeah, you're you're asking the right guy that question. Um
Yeah, that's pretty much the story of my life. Um
Why I'm single now
Um most yeah most of my well two main relationships. Yeah, I was
fishing too much
Constantly long out of states and stuff, you know and like my
partner stone
he didn't uh
He didn't uh
He had one bad relationship and that person happened to
Um do a lot of stuff wrong and you know, she ended up, you know passing away
So he never dated anybody else after that that was that was way when he was younger
And after that he was always single. So then when I moved in with him after I got divorced
From my first relationship
Um, yeah, so it was always me and him
I mean we did everything together and it wasn't and it's not like we were just partners
Not any funny stuff that we were just we were just good
Good buddies and that's it, you know, and we fished we hunt
Um all the time it would that's all we did
So it was kind of hard to get a girlfriend, which I did get a girlfriend, but that didn't end up, you know
Yeah, there there I was gone too much
Way too much, you know, yeah, and I
In all these other, you know, and I and I I got partners and I know people
Which I'm not going to say their names that that went through went through and recently went through divorces
Because of that reason they're you know, we're fishing too much
And it's tough. It's tough to keep a relationship, you know, you know, I'm I'm actually
I would like to be in a relationship with this one now, but
Um, and and if I was I would definitely
Because this one I really really love this one. I would probably quit a lot of the tournaments or give up
You know a majority of them. I won't be fishing every weekend. Not even close
I just do the bigger ones few of the bigger ones out here and maybe a couple bar of tournaments and that's good
You know, you got to keep momma happy. That's boys
I got to tell you that you got to keep them happy because it doesn't end well, you know, and I seen that on facebook the other day
Um just a meme
And it had a half a boat. She got my other half
It was funny, but yeah
So yeah when it comes to relationships and fishing if you want if you want to keep your relationship
You better not do what I do. That's that's all I got to say
Yes, yes, and yes, and that that would I would love that but it's just hard to find
It's hard to find one like that. They just don't fall out of the sky like that
You know, that's just to hit course. I mean and yes, there is a lot of guy girl teams husband wife teams
Yeah, and that's awesome that I wish that was me, you know, but
I didn't find the right one for that one yet, you know, and I don't think the one that I want or that I do love right now
Is doesn't really want she likes boating. She loves boating, but um
That's that's about it and swimming and stuff like that, you know
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, you got it
You got to have to drive a little bit because otherwise it just probably won't work, you know
That's and that's where we'll get an arguments and that's no fun. That's
You know, I hate arguing
Especially with women. I hate it. You know, that's
That's just not my gig, you know, so have you
It's kind of may sound like a weird question, but have you tried online dating?
Have you done before? No, no, do you know guys that have done? Oh, yeah, okay. Yeah, and it's actually worked
It's some of my buddies. Uh actually one
One that's uh coming tonight. Dave Bose. He he just went through a
uh
divorce also
and uh, he
Yeah, he online and
Yeah, he's already he already found one already that that he's he really really likes, you know, and and it and like my buddy scott
Up north. Um, he meant he meant his
Soon-to-be wife here. I think they've been together for eight years or something now
It meant I don't even know what site it was, but it was an online dating one
Yeah, and it worked for him. There's a bunch of guys. I know that it worked, but I'm just not
Yeah, I
No, I like the one that I'm after right now and I'm never gonna quit. No, I guess the question there is
Do you do they actually post a picture of them with a fish?
Because we talked to a lot of women. Yeah, a lot of very strong feelings about guys on dating sites with a fish picture
Oh, and I mean, are you aware of what they're like
I mean, if you were if you were gonna do something or if one of your friends would you say, oh, yeah, get get that nice one at the big wall way
I guess
I don't know if that's a turn on or turn off for them for them on a dating site. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, the guys. Oh, so he fishes. Nope
Scroll to the left
So I don't think I would probably do that
but just just um
Just because of my uh, my uh prior uh relationships. It just doesn't work with a fish
That's so obviously I better not do that
but do do most guys have
pictures of them smiling without a fish or is it are all of the
Like oh to yeah, there's a lot of yeah guys with holding fish. Oh my god. Yeah, there's tons of them
Just yeah, that's what we're supposed to do. You know, but
I mean, how many pictures do you have of yourself where you're smiling and you're not holding a fish? Oh my lord
Oh
How many times say that again?
How many do you have pictures of yourself where you're smiling, but you're not holding a fish or the oh, yeah
Are the only like the most of this
Pictures of you like we want it. Oh, no. No, I smile. Yeah. No, I smile in other pictures. Yeah
Oh, I see what you're getting at. That was funny
No, no, no, I'm always I'm usually pretty happy guy all the time. Yeah, that's no, but I yeah
I really do smile a lot when I'm holding a fish. Oh for sure. Yeah, because that's you know
Yeah, in a whole county like all the fish that I have in my garage up on the wall
How can you not smile when you when you got them on the end of your line and
And they're fighting and it's it's it's crazy. It's intense. It's it's what we do and then yeah
And then your high-fiving in the boat. That's when
That's when I'm really smiling, but no, I do smile otherwise
Yeah, yeah, and if I ever did do that online dating, which I won't
I I'm sure I probably put those pictures smiling in her
but
Yeah, so as far as you know
Do people who don't fish walleye understand what it is about walleye
Or why why are walleye like the fish?
Well, it's just how you get brought off
You know, there's guys like bass fish that
They can't stand walleye. That's what they do is just bass
Um
Yeah, I think that's just how you got brought up because if I I'm sure I'd be bass fishing if my dad was a bass fisherman, right? I'm guessing
um
But in it also who who your friends are who you grow up with, you know
You know, you want to you want to be with them also and you know hang out with them and that's what they do
That's what you do. That's just the way you do it. You know, but
Yeah, that's what I
Yeah, yeah, it's just how how you got brought up. I'm guessing that's all that works
But for you
Why why was walleye why didn't you switch to bass at some point? They fight more? There's people
Yeah, you know
Oh, yeah, they're you can catch more pain. Yeah, well walleye. Yeah walleye are bigger bigger than bass
You know than being a bass guy and obviously muskies are bigger than that
But if you got the patience for musky, which I have absolutely not
but
walleye are like in the middle that that's like
You're getting every excitement
every
Everything out of a walleye, you know, you get the you get the fighting
Which I know you get fighting in bass, but the bass, you know, yeah, you know, you can catch ton 10-pound bass, but that's just
You know, I just don't get excited over that, you know, but
You know coming from other people's
How they think you know
For me to tell people that
Walleye is dead center that
You get every everything out of a walleye, you know, you get
You get you get the action you get the the pullbacks you get you get there's there's so much more
Yeah, you don't get a walleye jumping out of the water like a bass
That's how we know when bass run all the time they jump out, you know, and it's like eh, but
Yeah, no, I would
It's you know, it's hard to say
You know about that, but and you've got a sink full of walleye behind us right? Yes. Yes. Yep. Is that eerie walleye then?
Oh, yeah, yep, then we're all your eerie walleye
Yep. Yeah, that's that's the other thing with us, you know, when I mentioned that earlier
With us we always us tournament fishermen. We always like to keep the walleyes in the lake. We
I
Don't hardly know any of my buddies and I know a lot of them, you know because fishing tournaments you you learn to
Know a lot that actually keep them because most of these guys and most of my guys almost all of my guys
We go to eerie because eerie they want you to take them fish
You know because there's so many I mean there's there's millions of them, you know
So they they need you to take them out
We always like to keep in our local lakes and lakeset, you know that we're trying to make better
You know, we put them back. So, yes, all of them walleyes that we keep are from
Are from eerie for sure. Yep. So what is it about a walleye fish farm that makes it some sick and so special?
Well, it's when you yeah when you get your guys together all your teammates and stuff and
Wish we could do it more more often
Um, but yeah, it's it's the camaraderie. It's you know, everybody's we're we're gonna be sitting out there talking
You know talking fishing stories and I'm sure talking about what happened today and you know and
And all the past, you know and with stone and you know, it's
And we're all together and we're just you know
Even though we're just we're friends. It's it to me. It's more like family. We're all family no matter what
I don't care if you got the last name or if we're causing or not, you know to me
We're friends. We're family. That's that's my brother, you know all my brothers, you know, that's
and it's
And it's fun just to get everybody together. That's
You know, we we always play bags or you know, we have cocktails and you know talk smart and
Yeah, it's it's fun. It's fun. Yep. So
One of the other things that we're looking at is the amount of research that the state is doing right now
the DR
Glyphwick and the universities they're looking there's like groups like walleyes for tomorrow and some other volunteer groups
They're spending so much money
To try and figure out, you know, where walleye are declining how we can get more law or to raise law
To put back in the lakes or figuring out, you know, what's the best possible way to do all this docking?
Yeah, like what's the best way to keep official life if you do claim to catch a release
There's a lot of money being spent on that. Oh, yeah
Is there a justification that it's worth it or if
Declined that it would just be you fish or something. Oh, no, it's definitely worth it
I mean, they're they're doing their job that that is for sure, you know, especially with with the walleye like this year
Oh my gosh, there's so and so many little fry walleyes out there that made it that
This year's it's it's insane out there how many walleyes, you know in it when we're out there trolling
It it looks like we're in eerie you can go out in a mud in your in the arks on your screens are just like an eerie
No, they're they're definitely 100% doing their job, you know with walleye with
Restocking it with with food, you know, there's abundance of that out there this year and then especially with sturgeon spear and that's
That is doing very very well. They they I give them 100% credit on that that is
They're doing their research or doing their, you know, they're netting, you know, they're restocking to you know, it's
It's amazing, you know, I got to give it to them, you know, there's a few few things
I you know, you know disagree with you know what we talked about today a little bit, you know with putting on a limit
You know because a lot of lot of locals keeping them little guys, you know, and that's that that isn't helping our system out at all
um
But but otherwise other than that, yeah, no, I agree
um
Like there'd be something lost if walleye just- oh god if they didn't do if
The universities and all all these places the dnr and but all of them if they didn't do this
Oh, no that that lake wouldn't be nothing nothing at all or even any lake it doesn't matter any lake
I mean because obviously like in eerie holy cow
You can't they can't even keep up with them, you know
um
But yeah, yeah, no, they're definitely doing their job
I can I can tell you that I have nothing against them guys just on a few little issues, you know, that could be easily taken care of
But yeah, but otherwise they're definitely doing their job
But as far as like the the need for to do this like walleye
Has a place in in Wisconsin and as far as in society and culture like it matters
Yep. Oh, yeah, yeah, that's that's like the king of fish and
Beep ball besides sturgeon in Wisconsin. That's that's just
You know
That's just the fish fish. Well that you should fish anyways, you know all because they're fun. They're fun to catch
You know and they're hard they're hard to catch too, you know, they're they're finicky, especially alton when a bagel they're
Yeah, it day by day like I was saying but uh
It's like they're the right balance of skill required to do it, but then yeah, the size is the reward
Yeah, the sizes are the reward. I mean it's that the size out here is definitely coming back
Um you're catching a lot of 20s. I mean there's 28s. There's 29s
Um actually my partner stone and I you know, I think we got like if I remember right
Like three 28s out there. We got a 29 and one just shy of 30
Um the one tournament that we were that we were in
It was uh, it was called monkeys tournament. It's on the west side
Um, it's mikey blanks uncle passed away. That was a long time ago already and we they do a memorial every year
not no more but
um that that one year we had
We we came in with 28 pounds. That's the most that the most that we've ever the best we've ever done for like just
I want a bagel that's unheard of you know to do you know and that that's real pounds
That's not aim aim scale or nothing like that because aim scale. That's a total different
You know if you get 30 pounds you pretty much got like 22 or 23 pounds
Just because of how they got a calculated out, you know between
between length and pounds
So
But yeah, no, they're doing good that the the system is doing it's on fire right now
You know and I just hope it keeps up. There's a way ton plenty of bait
uh, the minnows and uh
the white or the
uh, the white or not white perch, but uh
The perch minnows there
They they came back and I don't know how they came into the system
But yeah, there's tons of them all over like during like during sturgeon's beer and holy cow
you can see if you're using a um
A downview panoptics or a life scope, whatever you got
You can just see the whole bottom and you're dead still because obviously you're not moving on nice
so
You know the whole bottom is just moving isn't it's all
It's all bait
I mean, I'm fish the fish are healthy, you know the one today we got was a little bit skinnier
But you know most of them though we're catching out there they're they're fat, you know, they're doing
Yeah, that the restocking that what they're doing. They're definitely doing a very very good job
For people that don't fish do you think they understand how much money goes into the economy through
There's two fishing. I just when we were at the tournament with you
Like just walking through the parking lot like hundreds of thousands and million or actually actually millions of dollars
Isn't it sitting in a parking lot?
No, no, you take a you take a big tournament
You know that's each boat is a hundred thousand
And there's a 300. Oh
That that's just in boats. Now you got equipment. Yeah, you got trucks. Now you got, you know, yeah, there's
Millions and millions. It's crazy. What a guy
What a guy puts into it. Do you have to do that? Absolutely not you could just you and that doesn't make you me or
Better than you if you go out there with just a six 16 foot puddle jumper
That's fine. I'm not you can go out there and catch them same fish. You know, it's
it's
Who you are, you know, do you want to fish tournaments? A lot of people don't you know
Or they're older or they you know, they just want to go out and have fun. Yeah, you don't need a boat like that to do that
You know, but there is a lot of money
That flies around. I mean all the bait shops everything bait
Um
It's it's crazy. If you if you would take fishing away
Period or the dinner I would just shut it down. See no
That would be a huge huge mistake that
that that hurt the economy something fierce like
Something bad would probably happen if they that would happen, you know
So and I don't even I don't see that in the future ever
No, but if if fishing declined because they weren't doing enough to keep enough fish there
Yeah, that would definitely hurt. Yeah
You're like it's worth to spend the money. Yeah, are you saying if they didn't do what they did?
Yeah, yeah, well then no we would it would be gone
Oh, definitely. I wouldn't want to go out there fishing for nothing, you know or or very few
You know that that'd be pretty tough
For some of the people to justify the new boat and all the oh, yeah
Yeah, because nowadays they don't get boats away no more. I mean your average boat is a buck
you know 120 to 150,000, you know, that's
That's hard to hard to swallow but is it easier for you if like you don't add up how much you spent on fishing
Oh, we don't talk about that stuff. Yeah. Yeah, but I actually could talk about it because I don't have I don't have a wife
so
I really don't care
but
Yeah, but otherwise no no I wouldn't I didn't want to bring that stuff up too much
the boat to pass with that because I
I could be retired way a long time ago already if that's if that was the case because I bought enough boats
I don't even know how many I don't know but uh
Do I want what I give it better, you know, how would I say that would I take it back?
Yeah, no, no, I think I keep it to say I don't know. No, I'm glad I did what I did
You know, yeah, I give my dad crap or my buddies. I talk about my dad. It's like yeah
Yeah, it's all because it's all your fault that I
Yup, that I'm divorced and I got to spend all this money on fishing. Yup. Thanks dad
You know, I appreciate it a lot, you know, and yep. Nope. No problems, son. I'm here for you all day
You know, but yeah, the holster got into woodworking. Yeah, no golf is not my
That is one thing I can't stand I
Hitting a ball and going to chase after it and picking it up and hitting it again and chasing after it
Not my gig no and a lot of my buddies do and
And that they asked me to go along. Well, then you just be the cart you drive the beer around and stuff, you know, and it's like
Just that whole thing doesn't it doesn't turn me on at all. So that it's mainly hunting and fishing
That's pretty much what I do, you know, all I shoot pool, you know
Um, we shot pool since we were since we were little we always had a pool table in our basement
So we we're pretty decent at pool. Our family is too. So we're in leagues and stuff
You know
That's another thing, you know, you're going every once or once or twice every every week at night, you know, old ladies don't like that
You know, so it's
Yeah
Yeah, so it's pretty
if you
If you want to keep a relationship you might as well just quit it all and stay home
If you want to have a loving one anyways
Unless she likes to fish and do all that stuff
You know, that's hey, giddy up. That's more power to you. You know, I wish everybody the luck like that, but
I'm lucky but not
Not that type of luck in that direction anyways
But I think we're good on this end. Um, we would like to put the mic back on you and have you walk us through
Out in your garage. Okay, the months and some of the trophies and stuff. Yeah
Kind of talk us through there, but we're good in here. That wasn't