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Mike Schoonveld: Fishing for food seals the deal in becoming a lifelong angler

The author’s first fish, caught while he was in second grade, was a bluegill somewhat smaller than this one, but it set the stage for a lifetime of catching and eating fish. (Stock photo)

I caught my first fish when I was a second grader when a family friend invited me to go fishing with him. 
Geared up with cane poles and a can of worms, we went to a local pond filled with stunted bluegills. The action was fast with the bobbers going down seconds after I lowered the heavy pole. Fun, exciting – sure, but that wasn’t what sealed the deal for me to become a life-long fisherman. That came when my grandparents took me to “the river” to go fishing. “We’ll catch us some fish for supper,” grandpa said. 

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