When I attended The University of Notre Dame I made it a point to fish the two lakes located on the campus. There I perfected fishing for Carp with floating baits made from dining hall bread. When hooked on the surface those carp jumped as much as any Smallmouth Bass. After graduating from College, I spent four years in the Army, which included a 1968 tour of duty in Vietnam with the First Infantry Division. Returning to the States, I was assigned to the staff at the United States Military Academy at West Point where I also married my first wife (now deceased). The fishing on that Military Reserve was spectacular. Folks there were busy chasing undersized trout while I had many lakes to myself that were teeming with bass and enormous panfish. Upon leaving the Army I went to work for the Toledo YMCA as the director of their boy’s summer camp which was located on a small natural lake in southern Michigan. While there I helped develop a program that brought inner city children to this natural area to spent a week away from home. Later I worked for Toledo Public Schools as their Resident Outdoor Education Director for nearly 30 years. More than 80,000 sixth graders had this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now in retirement, I spend a great deal of time researching early fishing tackle and methods as well as using, enjoying and experimenting with vintage tackle. My wife and I have a Summer cottage on that same small Michigan lake where I am free to try out old tackle and attempt to complete the perpetual “honey do” list.
