PBS Wisconsin Originals

Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing

04/30/1999

– [piano music] [bird chirping] [calming music]

>> Narrator: Wisconsin is a state that is defined by water.

>> Wisconsin Local: All right.

>> Narrator: There are thousands of lakes.

>> Wisconsin Local: That’s it, your good.

>> Narrator: Miles of rivers, and streams.

>> Let me get a couple casts in.

>> Narrator: And with water comes fish and fishing.

>> Like this one I got on Jess?

>> Yeah like that okay.

>> I think it’s a live one.

>> Yeah, that’s a slab. Oh that’s what you want.

>> That’s a pretty color.

>> My grandfather took me out fishing. He loved to fish. And he didn’t care, you know, If he caught anything as long as his line was in the water.

>> Narrator: As long as your line’s in the water.

>> Wisconsin Local: If you’ve read, All the Leopold Sand County Almanac, I think one of his statements is it’s, “it’s not the size of your catch that’s important, It’s the chance.” Just being out here. [birds chirping] [calming music]

>> Wisconsin Local: Well, I fish whenever I can. Not as much as I used to, [birds chirping] [calming music] it’s just relaxing. I don’t care if I never catch anything and I don’t have clean it. [Wisconsin local laughing] [calming music] [water splashing] [Wisconson local laughing]

>> Child Fishing: Nine, I got nine! I have nine, I have nine.

>> Crew Member: Is that the first fish she caught today?

>> Wisconsin local: No, they got, I have a pail full of ’em.

>> No, she got a whole pail full right here.

>> I got nine.

>> Hold your head up. [Wisconson local laughing]

>> Crew member: Nine? Wow. [calming music]

>> Narrator: It’s not the size of the catch that counts. It’s the chance.

>> I’m trying to get him on-

>> Narrator: The chance to be out in the state, defined by water. The chance to forge connections with friends, within families.

>> Wisconsin local: My dad, actively took me fishing, in a little 12 foot John boat, ever since I was six years old, probably, so, I used to throw all of his expensive lures so high up into the trees that he finally got wise and started giving me cheaper tackle to fish with. [birds chirping]

>> My mom took me when I was a little kid. [indistinct] get out there and caught a lot of crappies. They’re good fighters for a little kid.

>> indistinct: with a paddle, although she never paddles.

>> I’m not allowed to paddle.

>> Wisconsin local: She paddles only when there’s heavy headwind. [birds chirping]

>> Narrator: The chance to forge connections with the natural world.

>> Wisconsin local: Pile of poop that looks like a large [indistinct] down there.

>> Narrator: There’s an old saying, “I like fishing because of the places it takes you.” Wisconsin is filled with those places, places of water and fish and stories, stories of people who share a common connection. They’ve all, gone fishing. [calming music] [water trickling]

>> Narrator: Major funding for Gone Fishing, is provided in part, by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. For more than a century, Wisconsin has been a prime destination for fishing, fun and fresh air. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has information to make everyone’s time on the water, the time of their life. And by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, managing Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers, and streams for the fish within them and anglers from near and far. [birds chirping]

>> Ian: I got one! Look at him.

>> Narrator: It’s a Saturday morning in May. The blue gales are biting.

>> This is a good fishing place for a good day actually.

>> Narrator: A good day, for Mark Weller of Waunakee, Wisconsin, and his two sons, Ian and Garrett.

>> Looks like you got a lot of seaweed.

>> Narrator: To while away some time, in the fine art of fishing.

>> Set. Oh, here wait, set, set, set, set, set, set, set. Set! What are you doing? [Weller laughing] Oh, he got off. All right.

>> Narrator: Unlike many in this state, Weller didn’t grow up with a family tradition of fishing.

>> My father died when I was seven years old, so I never had that father figure to sit down and say, here’s how you hold a rod. This is what you’re trying to do. Okay, ready? He’s coming back. Can you see him? There, perfect. Excellent.

>> Narrator: When Weller’s oldest son was three, he wanted to go fishing. Weller learned how to fish, as a result of his son’s interest. And now they’re all hooked.

>> Have another one. [Weller laughing] Look at that. Oh, this is great.

>> Another pup-

>> That’s a little bigger size. [water splashing] There we go. We got fighters.

>> Whoa!

>> Weller: We got a fighter.

>> Big one.

>> Weller: There you go.

>> Ian: Well, I like being outdoors. I like to hear water. You’re just sitting there and then suddenly your bobber goes down and then you have a huge thrill.

>> Narrator: That thrill may be the lure of fishing, but every Fisher person catches so much more, learns so much more.

>> It’s a blue gale, because like, it has a lot of blue stripes, and it has like a blue spot, like right there.

>> Narrator: There is the friendly competition.

>> Stand back. I got this one.

>> Narrator: The disappointments.

>> Got him! Had ’em. Oh, he just went away.

>> Hey, got one!

>> Yeah that’s a small gale.

>> Very small.

>> Narrator: A few lessons in the relativity of size.

>> That’s a good one.

>> That’s a good size actually.

>> Narrator: But most of all, there’s the chance to be together, in a good fishing place on a good day.

>> Got one! [Garrett laughing]

>> Ian: I got a pumpkin seed. [calm guitar music]

>> Narrator: To be out here. It’s a beautiful day in Wisconsin’s North Woods. The autumn leaves have just begun to turn. [car whizzing by] [birds & crickets chirping] [water plopping] For many in this state, The annual trip up north is a kind of pilgrimage. Every year, Weller joins that trail. He makes the time to take the trek North to go fishing. [birds & crickets chirping] [water trickling]

>> This is heaven. It really is that place in the world where I can escape. Where all those urban pressures and, and all the kind of day to day grunge in life, that everyone faces. Even all your own personal devils that, that no one ever talks about, for the hour or two or five, or whatever it is I’m fishing, those go away. So I can kind of enter into this other world, where, you know, I can look at birds, I can look at the vegetation. I don’t have those pressures of answering the phone and, and dealing with other folks. And geez, maybe if I catch a fish in the process, that’s just gravy. That’s just fun on top of it all. [Weller laughing] [dramatic music]

>> Narrator: Weller didn’t have a dad to show him how to fish. Instead, He has a North Woods mentor and friend in Martin Hanson.

>> Let’s see what it does in the water.

>> All right, here we go.

>> Well, you threw that a long way.

>> He’s an older gentleman, who has been kind and gentle enough to say, “this is how you do it, this is what you oughta be thinking about when you do it, and here’s some tips.” That’s magnificent to have someone, who kind of takes you under their wing and, and shares that kind of knowledge.

>> Narrator: It’s knowledge gained from over 60 years of North Woods fishing.

>> I was a little kid, you know, he, I could throw a lure with a casting rod at seven, eight years old and hit right on the Weller.

>> Narrator: It’s knowledge that comes from a lifelong connection with the land.

>> There’s an old rhyme, you know, “The wind is from the North, The fish come forth, when it’s from the East, it’s the least. From the West it’s the best. In the south, that’s when the they’ll take it in their mouth.” So a Southwest wind adds up to be the best around here for bass. Used to be a gentle wind. And it’s better before a rainstorm. But there’s every rule you can make, and then the rule is there to be broken. [Hanson laughing] [crickets chirping] [crow cawing]

>> Narrator: The places that fishing can take you, and what that place can evoke. [water splashing]

>> All right. Fishing is really two things to me. One is the notion of catching a fish and getting it into the boat. But the other one is a sense of place. Where you fish, what’s going on around you. What’s the scenery look like? What are the birds doing? What does a place sound like? [water trickling] All of those other elements is to me, what fishing is really about. You’re in the natural world, if you’re in a boat and if you’re paying attention, you’re gonna learn something, regardless if you put a fish in the boat or not.

>> Narrator: It’s a place to learn, to let go, to have some adventures. [upbeat guitar music]

>> You’re gonna have a nice day. It’ll be good for muskies.

>> Good. That’s phase two. Or you catch me a musky.

>> Hmm?

>> I said, if you catch me a musky.

>> I think we’ll catch one.

>> Narrator: That day, Weller begins to take part in a North Wood tradition, the pursuit of the elusive musky, the fish of 10,000 casts. [calm guitar music] The quest begins, and the adventure is what happens along the way. [birds chirping] [calming guitar music]

>> Fishing out there, where you look behind your shoulder and suddenly you see a cloud, a fog kind of filling the gorge, covering the river, engulfing you, you know, it’s just one of those, kind of moments . . . that unless you stop from your day to day, hubbub of life and look around you, you’re gonna miss that kind of stuff. Fishing puts you in those kinds of elements. [calm guitar music]

>> Narrator: In the elements, chasing musky, some fishers, chase them for years.

>> Sometimes you’re fooled. Just go fishing, keep the lure in the water, you’ll finally catch one. [guitar strumming]

>> Narrator: The day after we left Weller Weller, he caught one, or so he claims. We think it’s a true fish story, about the fish of 10,000 casts.

>> Weller: Oh! Man he’s gone. [water trickling] [crickets chirping] [gentle guitar strumming]

>> The wind is blowing just a little bit, but it looks like a nice day though, man.

>> Yeah.

>> I think it’s gonna be a good day.

>> Should be able to get into some fish.

>> Narrator: Fishing adventures abound in this state. Far from the North Woods, 30 minutes in fact, from Milwaukee, is lake Nemahbin.

>> Hey, you know what’s it’s nice? Nobody out here.

>> Yeah. That’s why I love fishing during the week.

>> Yeah.

>> Narrator: Another place of connection and escape. And at the heart of it, is fishing.

>> Outdoorsmanship, Ooh yeah. [fishing rod winding] There we go. They’re, they’re feasting themselves on minnows down here.

>> Yeah, gorging themselves.

>> Yeah.

>> Narrator: Two friends. Jesse Ray of Wauwatosa and Mike Nelson of Delavan.

>> I’m getting bumps out there.

>> Narrator: It was fishing that brought them together.

>> Jesse: We met out here.

>> Mike: Yeah.

>> Mike loves fishing. I love fishing.

>> Yeah.

>> That’s how we met.

>> Narrator: They met on this lake, 10 years ago. They fish. They talk about fish.

>> I don’t care to depend on my drag, just for the hook set, and then I always hit my back reel. You know that way, if wants to make a lunge, I just, you know, give ’em line back.

>> I like playing that fish.

>> Narrator: They talk about fishing and the rest of life.

>> I mean those blue gales, man, they fight like, hurt like a baby, you know, when a baby gets all upset, [Jesse mock-crying] [Mike laughing] those blue gales will fight like that.

>> I like to forget those days.

>> Narrator: But most importantly, they spend time together. That’s not to say there isn’t a little fishing rivalry, between the two.

>> Jesse: That’s a nice little bass.

>> Sure.

>> Narrator: Nelson starts the day with a bass.

>> A great size for the kids to catch. They love catching ’em.

>> Yes it is, yes it is.

>> It’s fun.

>> That’s beautiful. That’s-

>> Narrator: Within 10 minutes, Ray counters with a blue gale.

>> That’s the kind you clean up and make some nice potato chips out of. Yeah Michael, now we even. Yeah, you put your bass back, but this blue gale may have to be dead-

>> Oh wait. I, I, I oh! [Michael laughing]

>> Oh no.

>> Uh huh. [Ray laughing]

>> No you didn’t did you?

>> Yeah, I did.

>> Oh cut it out.

>> Nice bass.

>> Narrator: Ray ups the ante.

>> Yeah, That’s nice bass, Mike.

>> Little bit bigger-

>> Now go ahead and kiss him like Jimmy Houston do. [Michael laughing] Come on.

>> You kiss him first.

>> Okay.

>> You kiss him first. [lips smacking] [Michael laughing] We have a great time. Every time we get together, we, we have fun, we catch fish. He shares his knowledge with me, I share mine with him. We always get fish.

>> That’s right.

>> And that’s what it’s all about.

>> That’s right. That is what it’s all about.

>> Narrator: These two end the day with a tally pretty even up. Ray keeps the blue gales. It’s catch and release on the bass.

>> Relax. I don’t wanna hurt you. Relax, relax. I won’t hurt you. I’ll put you back. Get big.

>> Narrator: Ray has a tradition. When he is done with his fishing day, he takes his blue gales, and heads to Milwaukee’s Washington Park.

>> I give the fish to people who are fishing in these ponds, because a lot of times, especially in the late summer, the fish that are in these ponds, aren’t very big at all. And these people are just like, they’re out here, really fishing for substance. They want, I mean, they wanna take these fish home to eat. They want a fish fry. How y’all doing? Good. Good. Say, listen, I got some blue gales. I, I got my share. Y’all want some of these? I like that in ya brother. Hey young man, you been fishing today? Yeah? All right. Hey, listen. I got, I got a lot of fish, I’ve been catching ’em all day. You want some of these? I got a few you can have. Look at this. Look at that. Let me see. See that? Some nice blue gales, huh? You grab it, you grab that blue gale and you want to grab it from the front and they all gonna fall down. See it all falls down there-

>> Narrator: It’s a chance to make connections, to share his knowledge about fishing with a much younger fishing friend.

>> This will get you with a blue gale. See these here? So you know what you go in, go in from the top, you grab it- [fish flopping] Oh, that was perfect. That’s how you hold ’em.

>> That’s how you put ’em in your bucket. [guitar strumming]

>> Narrator: Passing it on. It’s an important part of what fishing’s all about, but it’s just one part.

>> If I don’t catch anything, it’s not gonna matter today, because as long as I’m not in the city, I’m out here this winds catching me, It’s fresh air. Good, good company, good company. Cut it out Michael don’t be catching on air. And, and, I, and I can just be out here- Hey, this is God’s country, man. I’m having a good time. It’s nothing better. It’s nothing better. [water rushing] [calming music] [gentle guitar strumming] [birds chirping]

>> Sarah: Oh that’s right that helps to get ’em on. I forgot about that. [birds chirping]

>> Sarah: If we get lucky, an overcast day is better for fishing. But if it’s sunny today, the grass hoppers and ants and beetles, might be good for fishing.

>> Narrator: Fishing can sometimes involve a fair amount of fussing, fly fishing in particular.

>> Stephanie: So Sarah, which direction should I put this on again?

>> Sarah: You’re gonna wanna reel with your left hand.

>> Stephanie: I am?

>> The two women here, getting their gear together, consist of an old pro and an eager novice.

>> No, I reel with my right hand.

>> Sarah: Okay.

>> Stephanie: Or do reel with my left hand?

>> I think you reel with your left hand.

>> I’m trying to remember. It’s been a while.

>> Narrator: Sarah Johnson and Stephanie Limbuagh, both will tell you, that you don’t need a wad of cash to hit Wisconsin’s creeks and streams.

>> Sarah: My first pair of waders, I got for 19 bucks at Kmart, with an old pair of tennis shoes and a borrowed rod. So you don’t have to have a bunch of stuff.

>> Narrator: What is necessary, is a great enthusiasm for learning.

>> Sarah: And we’ll get, we’ll get right down in here and fish right up around the corner to right up in there. And we took some fish out of there the other day.

>> What were you taking out, browns?

>> Yep.

>> Narrator: And learning.

>> What do, what would you like to put on?

>> Narrator: Lots of learning.

>> Stephanie: Yellow might, might work.

>> It’s hard to tell though what worked a couple weeks ago.

>> Yeah.

>> With the change in temperature. In the air.

>> Yeah. It’s really cooled down in the last couple weeks.

>> Mmhm. [water rushing]

>> Stephanie: Come on little guys.

>> Sarah: What we’re trying to imitate is something falling out of the vegetation. [water rushing] [birds chirping]

>> Oh.

>> Oh. [Sarah laughing]

>> Okay, lift quickly. There you go. With the current, the boulders, it requires tremendous balance, timing, hand/eye coordination. And it goes be way beyond that to, you have to get a knowledge of the insects and the fish and where they’re, where they’re gonna feed at different times of the day. If the sun’s high or low, and you have to learn to read water. [water rushing] [birds chirping] I was introduced to Wisconsin really through, by learning its streams.

>> Narrator: Johnson used to work in Washington, D.C. A place not really known for fishing. In fact, Johnson knew very little fishing in her past.

>> So I grew up in the city. My dad didn’t take me fishing. Typically hunting and fishing are passed down from father to son. And you’re more likely to fish if you grew up in a, a rural area versus an urban area.

>> Narrator: So how to start? 10 years ago, Johnson and a friend, tried their hand at fishing. There was a problem.

>> I didn’t know what to do when we caught the fish and I didn’t feel comfortable with just, letting it suffocate or die. And so we ended up not fishing that day, but she spread the word around that I was looking for someone to teach me how to fish. And so I got a call from a friend of ours who said, “Would you like to come over and see some fly fishing videotapes?” And I didn’t realize it really at the time, but it turned out to be a date. [Sarah laughing]

>> What a line.

>> Narrator: The romance began and Johnson was hooked instantly. The first time I caught a fish, it was on Black Earth Creek, right outside of Madison. And . . . I just totally unexpectedly cried. And that was it for me. It was that was it. [water trickling]

>> Narrator: To be outdoors in this corner of Wisconsin.

>> Stephanie: I forgot I had hip boots on. [Sarah and Stephanie laughing]

>> Sarah: what better way to spend an afternoon, than out at a place like this?

>> Narrator: An afternoon in pursuit, of a particular experience.

>> I don’t feel like this is gonna be a very successful day.

>> I would be telling a story if I didn’t tell you that, when there’s a fish on, when that fish strikes, that there’s something that happens inside. That is very exciting. I mean, there’s a, a rush of adrenaline and you remember that and it feels good. And so you wanna do it again.

>> Oh, there he is!

>> Stephanie: We got one.

>> Sarah: He’s gonna be a . . .

>> Come on hold guy, get outta there so we don’t mess it up.

>> Narrator: But to catch that experience, to catch these fish is no easy task.

>> Sarah: And under the vegetation, come on out of there. [Sarah laughing]

>> I’m gonna go over there.

>> Sarah: Li’l stinker.

>> Narrator: Fish in this creek are wild, not stocked and very wary of humans.

>> Sarah: Dive in for cover.

>> Yeah, he’s pooped out. Oh, maybe not.

>> Narrator: The more, you know, the better your luck.

>> Come on. Hold on, hold on, hold on.

>> Stephanie: Trout Fishing is one of those sports, Fly Fishing in general is one of those sports that people that have been fishing for 20 plus years still think that they have a lot to learn. [water rushing] [birds chirping]

>> Boy, you’ve got a lot of bugs around you. Can you say, “oh gosh.-” Just try to get one.

>> Stephanie: I think they’re blue winged mallows.

>> Yeah they look like it. [water trickling]

>> Stephanie: Which I’m not seeing any hoppers in the water though. What is it about the cold weather? They’re just not as active?

>> Yeah. It makes ’em less active or any sudden change in weather. [water trickling]

>> Stephanie: Should I fish this bank?

>> Sarah: Yeah, but you’re gonna have to stay low.

>> Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to be getting anything over here. Actually, I’m gonna go over this way.

>> I realized that, I was very fortunate to have several people, willing to take me out and spend the time with me to teach me what they’d learned over years and years and years. [duck calling]

>> Sarah: Oh, that’s so beautiful.

>> I wanna try to help Steph, have those same opportunities, one, and two it’s just fun to have a buddy to fish with and somebody who, you know, appreciates the same things about it that you do.

>> How are you doing? I’ve always had a passion for water. And so I just naturally gravitated towards the most beautiful, fresh water resource that we have, which is cold water. And the fish that live in it.

>> Narrator: Wisconsin is graced, with over 40 thousand miles of rivers and streams and over a thousand miles of spring-fed creeks, suitable for trout habitat, suitable for this pursuit, which results of course, in the making of memories.

>> You know, six months from now, we won’t remember how many fish we caught. We’ll remember that day that we went fishing and you know, so and so fell in or-

>> There was a hatch on.

>> There was a hatch and how beautiful it was. And remember when the shadows were long and the time that you spend together and the things you laugh about, that’s what you remember. [dramatic flute music] [calming music] [water trickling] [bird singing] [engine humming]

>> Mike: No, we definitely plan it all year, I mean-

>> Oh yeah.

>> It’s all I think about, all during the year. I have pictures of like sunsets and of a cabin, right above my desk at work. So I, it’s something I’m watching every day, yeah, I’d feel terrible, if I couldn’t at least come up once a year.

>> Narrator: Every year, at least once every year, Mike Taglin of Omaha, Nebraska, travels to Wisconsin to spend a week fishing, with his old friend, Barry Carlson of Madison. The target this trip, muskies, the place is always the same, up North. [calming music]

>> Mike: We both really have an affinity for this area up here. I mean-

>> Carlson: Oh, yeah.

>> Mike: It’s so absolutely beautiful. So I mean, just, just to be out on the water and, and be able to have this kind of scenery and stuff is, is almost overwhelming, sometimes. [calming music] [water splashing]

>> Narrator: They both have an affinity for fishing and the ways in which fishing can connect friends.

>> Sometimes being out on the water, it’s sort of like, how, when you’re in the dark, you can talk about things that you can’t talk about face to face maybe and you talk about stuff that I, I think is freeing too. I kind of like that. This is myself and my friend, Mike in 1980, in Omaha, Nebraska. It used to be art that was our common bond. And we still appreciate and talk about art and he paints still. And, and so we connect in that way, but fishing is something that has pretty much replaced that.

>> Narrator: Fishing has become a place of connection for these two friends. It has also become a point of departure for Carlson’s paintings.

>> Carlson: And right now, I’m gonna have to push back some of these clouds in the background that are too dominant here. They need to be much lighter.

>> Narrator: The light, the color in the North Woods, the water, the sky, that experience has become an integral part of Carlson’s work.

>> You know, when I go out and take photos and stuff for my paintings as well, I tend to choose the times of the day that the light’s in transition between full light and a, and a departing light or a waning light. I always check my photos when I get back. And I’ll always find a few new skies and then I can oftentimes pluck skies into different settings.

>> Narrator: Fishing has given Carlson much more than a few skies.

>> I wouldn’t be making these paintings. If I didn’t fish.

>> Narrator: Fishing has opened up new worlds, new ways of seeing.

>> Carlson: It teaches me, I guess, that anything is possible. When I look at some other things that I paint, I think, “Well, that’s not really believable cause you know, I wouldn’t imagine that you could possibly see this kind of color in the water.” You’ll sometimes see, a reflection that doesn’t look like it belongs there, but you go out on the water enough time and you’ll see, you know, purple water, green water, blue water, and red water and, and things that don’t really make sense. But because they’re in front of you say, “well, that’s believable.” [engine revving]

>> Wow.

>> Ready, Gridley?

>> Narrator: Up North, what’s in front of you, can change in an instant. [ducks quacking] [wings flapping] [water splashing] A day, starts in sun and within an hour, it’s snowing. It’s snowing and Carlson has a new experience netted from fishing to capture in his paintings.

>> That’s something that’s in my memory banks. I did get a couple photos, but the photos doesn’t even represent the day.

>> Narrator: To capture an experience, remember a time. Carlson was an only child, every year, he and his parents, would travel from Omaha, Nebraska to the North Woods, for a week of fishing with relatives. That place, that time, looms large in his memory.

>> Carlson: It was a connecting time. I could still remember. You know, alls we did basically, is go out in these little 14 foot, long boats, with the Johnson or mercury 20 horse motor. And, and we’d put a minnow on, toss it out and troll, you know? Rarely would my dad ever cast, until I was older, he would be the guy who’d drive. And I could just see him, you know, holding the, the tiller and having his pole over his shoulder and doing this.

>> Narrator: Carlson’s father has passed on. But the power of that time, that one week, each summer still holds.

>> I mean it plays just this gigantic place in my imagination and, and sense of self.

>> Narrator: And his paintings, Carlson calls his current series, “Memorie’s Window.” The way an experience is framed, looking back at a time and place, across the distance of years.

>> Carlson: I think it’s a sense of loss, trying to recapture things that, you treasured at one time or another, and maybe didn’t recognize at the time. And I think oftentimes, you know, dad, would’ve loved the fact that I have a boat now. [engine humming] [water crashing]

>> Narrator: Carlson has two children, Carston and Frieda. [Frieda laughing]

>> Carston: Yeah, sure.

>> Carlson: Okay, you’re just gonna, send this thing out, cast it. Poor [indistinct]

>> Narrator: Time spent fishing, is an essential part of their family.

>> Carlson: Because it kind of gets shallow out there and then deeper and then shallower again.

>> Where did I put the hook dad?

>> Carlson: Where did you put the hook? I’m just trying to give them, some of the things that I had and, he would’ve loved sharing it, you know? It would’ve been fun for him to come up and be with the kids and, and go out with me. That’s you know, the thing that I guess I miss is that I, I didn’t have the chance to really, voice my appreciation for some of his talents and some of his patience. Let it fall to the bottom and drag it real slowly. Just, just like it’s walking across the bottom.

>> Narrator: Returning the favor, giving his children the gift, of time spent fishing.

>> Gotta have my lucky hat on.

>> No, that’s not your lucky hat.

>> I can’t find my real lucky hat. [water trickling] [calming music] [geese squawking] [crickets chirping] [cicadas buzzing] [engine rumbling] [bright flute music]

>> I just like being out in the open, fresh air and I love the water and, and there’s, there’s always something to look at. [calming flute music]

>> Narrator: This is the Mississippi, the biggest river in the country. Flowing, moving with water, poured down from hundreds of streams and tributaries. It’s a place of strong currents, beautiful views and some great fishing. And for many who come here, this is the fish of choice, The catfish. If the North Woods has its musky, Lake Michigan, rainbow trout, the Mississippi has the catfish.

>> Barb: Here we go.

>> Narrator: This is the place, this is the kind of fishing, that Jean Ames and his wife, Barb of Potosi, Wisconsin, enjoy best.

>> Just fun, relaxing and challenging, catching more than my friends, mostly. [Jean laughing]

>> He does a good job. If you can keep him out of the beer batter, he likes to drink the beer batter. [all laughing]

>> Narrator: One of his friends, also from Potosi, is Harry Blindert.

>> Now Jean there, he’s uh, I think one day he lost two poles.

>> We should have wore our hip boots.

>> Narrator: These longtime river rats are passionate about fishing. Crazy about catfish.

>> For one thing I say, it’s the most relaxing fishing there is.

>> You just lean back and, and wait for the, for the pole to jump. And hopefully it won’t jump out of the boat.

>> We ready if they are. [gentle guitar strumming] That’s all I fish for, is catfish. I don’t fish anything else.

>> Narrator: Blindert used to be big on bass fishing, no longer.

>> It’s a lot of work, you know? They say bass fishing, a lot of work. It’s, you’re moving, you’re casting, And catfish fishing is more relaxing like now, make sure your pole’s out, sit back, wait for a bite.

>> Narrator: It’s a wonderfully simple sport. Catfish can be caught with very little, Blindert, no longer needs his lures.

>> I probably got, I would say probably five to $600 worth of lures and stuff in my tackle box, that I never use.

>> Narrator: What has taken their place, is something called blood “stink bait.”

>> Blindert: This has got blood in it. Now this is the stuff that smells like the bottom of the earth. [Blindert laughing]

>> Narrator: It’s a paste, slathered over a sponge and hook and made from very rancid materials. Like year old, fermented cheese. It’s called “stink bait” for a reason.

>> Ah! See for yourself, it’s sticky. It’s stinky. It has to stink because catfish are strictly on smell.

>> Jean: And have plenty of rags when this fit type of fishing.

>> Crew Member: Can you still smell it on your skin. after you’ve been fishing?

>> For days.

>> And this what attracts them, by smell, all smell. So if you got the right smell, you’ll get ’em to you.

>> Barb: Don’t get too close.

>> Don’t get too close. It’s like glue. I got so much stink bases running in my veins and the mice are following me around now. [upbeat guitar music]

>> Narrator: Some are on the river kickback and relax. It’s different for Keith Turner of Potosi. The river is his home and also a place of work.

>> Turner: We got one coming up.

>> Narrator: And he too, is crazy for catfish.

>> I was learnt this way by an old commercial fisherman. And that’s the way I always did it. My boys did this way too. Here’s a nice one. We’ll take him. [upbeat guitar music]

>> Narrator: Turner has been fishing these waters for nearly 50 years. He worked two jobs for years. The second one was catching catfish, commercially, and selling them.

>> Turner: Yeah, Illegal.

>> Narrator: Which places Turner, right in the heart of Mississippi river culture. In this corner of Southwestern Wisconsin, the catching and selling of catfish, is part of the local history, the local color. It’s what local people know and remember. [dramatic guitar strumming]

>> Years back, when I first started setting lines down this area in ’65, you’d be lucky to find a place on this landing here, on a Saturday morning. On weekends, a lot of ’em was out here on this landing. Now, me and another guy about the only one that uses it. [dramatic guitar strumming]

>> Narrator: The numbers, fishing these waters for catfish may have dwindled, but the process remains the same. It starts on dry land in Turner’s garage. Hundreds of hooks are strong on a line and wrapped across an old wooden frame. This is the set line. Each hook must be baited and slotted into the box. The bait is gray crickets.

>> If I get back swinging the way I wanna, we’ll be using 800 a day, so.

>> Narrator: This kind of fishing is hard work, it’s fraught with obstacles, and requires a great deal of skill and effort. Set lines must be led out.

>> So you gotta have three arms and a couple legs throwing these out.

>> Narrator: And then hauled back in. Even the fish themselves are a problem, with those painful stingers.

>> Turner: It’s when you get them thorns in your fingers is what hurts. You grab, there’s a bad thorn right there. You can feel it. And one right there and one right there, and they’ve got saws on ’em like.

>> Narrator: The river is full of surprises. Trees felled decades ago, still hang around as submerge stumps. [engine spluttering] Turner has to know this river.

>> Crew Member: What just happened, Keith?

>> What?

>> Crew Member: What just happened?

>> Hit another the stump.

>> Narrator: It can sometimes be a very bumpy ride.

>> Yeah, you see some wicked storms come around and out here. I’ve been in three of ’em in my lifetime. I’ve had waves come right over the bow, right over top of me up here.

>> Narrator: The Mississippi commands respect. It can be a dangerous place.

>> Turner: You’re getting a caught the fog out here, especially in this area, after I leave that stump. You don’t know where you’re at. You don’t want to get away in them barges, cause they can be on you and you don’t know it.

>> Crew Member: What would happen?

>> Turner: Probably run you down.

>> Narrator: Turner has an extra burden. Despite all of his years on the river, he doesn’t know how to swim. He’s fallen in three times, in 50 years. Still he stays, pulling up his set lines, checking his nets.

>> A year ago, I run a hundred nets. I had to be on the river every day. I didn’t get a day off. And I decided, time is getting short, you know, I’m getting older. So I sold enough now where, we could go three days, I’d have a fourth day, I could go to [indistinct] play a little black jack. [crew laughing] [dramatic guitar strumming] [engine rumbling]

>> Rita says, “Keith, you quit the river, they just well start digging your grave. Cause that’s where you’ll be, because you’ve lived on that river.” I have, I’ve lived on it. Probably 80% of my time has been on this river. When I’m awake.

>> Narrator: The places that fishing can take you. And what happens while you fish.

>> Turner: When you get on the river, you just relax. That’s what I do. I mean, I just, I feel at home on the river. You’re at ease. When I work my full-time job at Deers, come home after eight hours in there and jump in that boat after I eat supper and go to the river and just another world. Relax. That’s it. [engine whirring]

>> Narrator: But fishing for catfish, is only part of this story, for part of Mississippi river culture, a very tasty part is the cooking of catfish.

>> Make sure you have your oil, there’s 350 degrees or above or you won’t have good fish.

>> Take a big black iron skillet

>> Crew Member: Okay.

>> Put over a fire, get it just about gray and then throw in some butter and season your catfish filet and slide it across the pan a couple of times, and it’s done. [uplifting music] We’re going to go to the catfish feed tomorrow.

>> Narrator: The catfish feed, Keith Turner helped launch the very first one, over 30 years ago.

>> Turner: First one we had is a 200 pound fish and we used the good old Potosi beer to make the batter.

>> Potosi Local: All of us guys here, we all seem to get along pretty good except for me and Charlie, we usually fight.

>> Potosi Local: Finer than frog hair?

>> Finer than frog hair.

>> Potosi Local: The Fireman’s wives fix it. And with potato salad and coleslaw, all you can eat, and they serve from 11 till five. And that’s how they get their money to buy their equipment. It’s a big day for ’em.

>> Narrator: The catfish feed, every year, the town of Potosi Wisconsin, puts on a catfish feed, a fish fry, featuring their fish, the catfish, which is a source of great civic pride.

>> Oh, I love it. Good time, yeah. [cooks shouting] Putting everything together, And it’s a lot of work and everything seems to come together every year. So it’s pretty good.

>> Crew Member: Do you like catfish?

>> I love it. [Potosi local laughing] You have to for this job.

>> Crew Member: Are you fond to catfish?

>> Oh yeah, I love catfish. Like to catch ’em and eat’em. [crowd chattering]

>> Potosi Local: I’m watching how much you take, Gordy.

>> Gordy: Huh?

>> Potosi Local: I’m watching how much you take.

>> Gordy: Yeah.

>> Narrator: Mountains of fish will be consumed this day. A day that starts with a parade.

>> Potosi Local: These are the old, retired, firemen that are getting in here.

>> Narrator: The retired volunteers lead it off. [engine rumbling] [siren sounding] [horn honking] It’s a day for all things fish. [brass band playing] [siren sounding] that brings families and a community together. [engine rumbling]

>> [Parade Announcer] Great County Social Services. The next float that’ll be coming around the corner is the Catfish Queen Float. All of these young princesses will be candidates for the Queen Contest. Crowning will be at 12 o’clock. Kyle Lang Meyer, could you please come up to the DJ stand? Kyle Lang Meyer?

>> Narrator: It’s a day for making memories centered around a fish and town pride. There is a contest for Little Miss Catfish Queen.

>> Wave, wave, wave like this at ’em when they say your name okay?

>> [Parade Announcer] and I believe one of these ladies [indistinct] [crowd cheering] Kyle Lang Meyer. Kyle Lang Meyer, again is gonna receive a $50 savings bond.

>> Crew Member: What’s your favorite kind of fish?

>> Um . . . blue gale.

>> Narrator: Of course, not everyone is catfish crazy.

>> Crew Member: How long have you been doing this?

>> Eight years.

>> Crew Member: Do you enjoy it?

>> No. [Potosi local laughing]

>> Crew Member: Too much work, huh?

>> Yes it is.

>> Crew Member: [indistinct] enthusiastic.

>> That’s as enthusiastic as I get. Yeah, there’s a lot of, lot of hours involved. I hate, to hate the guess, the hundreds of hours put in down here, but this is part of the volunteer tradition of the town. And we want to keep it up.

>> Narrator: Part of the town, part of the tradition. For over 30 years, Potosi has set aside this day to celebrate their home, to make some memories, to remind each other of their shared connections, to their community and the river, and the ways in which fishing plays a part in that. [cicadas buzzing] [birds chirping] For those who live here or those who visit, time spent fishing creates a tie to a place and a time, a warm August night on the Mississippi, on the landing, just a mile from Potosi, this couple caught a sunset. [water trickling] [calming flute music] No matter whether it’s the height of summer, or the heart of winter, there’s something special that can happen, when people go fishing.

>> Wisconsin Local: Come on you fishies.

>> Come on fishies.

>> Narrator: It’s more than the anticipation, the successes, the promise of future treasures. Somehow, a passion starts up. [Garrett laughing]

>> Live for it. It’s in our blood.

>> Narrator: A passion, that has more to do with place and process than the catch.

>> Sarah: Within very short amount of time, you have forgotten everything else’s going on. And your mind clears and you cannot focus on anything else, but what you’re doing when you’re fishing, what you’re seeing and smelling and hearing. What better way to spend an afternoon, than out in a place like this? [water trickling] [fishing rod winding]

>> Narrator: In places like this, across Wisconsin, in all kinds of weather, in all the seasons of the year. [fishing rod flicking] [calming flute music]

>> I like the idea of being out there, mind can relax and open up and kind of, [Carlson sighing] you feel that big breath come out.

>> Narrator: It’s all about the chance, the chance to be out here.

>> Ready Gridley?

>> Narrator: And what might happen in that precious piece of time spent gone fishing. [bird chirping] [calm fluting music] [water splashing] [calm flute music] [water trickling]

>> Narrator: Major funding for gone fishing is provided in part by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Wisconsin offers anglers 15,000 inland lakes, two great lakes, the Mississippi river, 33,000 miles of streams and rivers and abundant populations of fish. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism, has information to make everyone’s time on the water, the time of their life. And by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, managing Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers, and streams for the fish within them and anglers from near and afar. [water trickling] [bright piano music]