Amazing fella who was incredibly dedicated towards introducing kids to this sport that we all love so much. He was one of the founders of the Student Angler Tournament Trail and a coach for the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks high school fishing team. But it wasn’t just the youngsters he wanted to get into fishing…it was anyone and everyone.
I think the first time I had actually met Stephen in person was at an event where we had volunteered as guide boats to get Veterans out on the water for the day. Knew within exchanging the first 5 words with him, that he was a 100% genuine dude who flat-out loved to bring a smile to folk’s faces and share his passion for fishing, of course, but also his passion for life.
Love this quick excerpt from a Grand Rapids Herald-Review post:
> “You always knew when you saw the Lund coming across the lake with a guy in a black cowboy hat that it was Stephen and he would say there was an open seat in the boat, come on along it’s got the makings of a dandy day. One of his favorite sayings was that he was tougher than woodpecker lips and he truly was until the very end. He would be happy if everyone helped pass on his legacy by getting just one person introduced into the outdoors so that his love of life and the outdoors can continue to shine forever.”
The walleye world won’t be the same without him. Rest in peace, fishing brother. 🙏✝️ *Tips hat
2. College kids win $1 MILLION in bassin’ derby!
Huge props to Tucker Smith and Logan Parks for each winning $500K (before taxes of course, but still WOW!) at the Bass Pro Shops US Open National Bass Fishing Championship on MO’s Table Rock Lake. Can you even imagine?! They caught ’em fishing a Daimiki rig for bass suspended 20′ down over 100′ on their live sonar.
3. AL: Humminbird has jobs at its Eufaula plant.
The 27,400 sq ft expansion of its Eufaula plant is creating about 77 new jobs. The expansion will also increase production and assembly areas by more than 25%.
4. WV: Muskie mortality study results are in.
Worth a read if ‘skies are your thing. They had implanted radio transmitters into numerous muskies and tracked the fish throughout the summer months to evaluate the effects that warm water catch-and-release fishing may have had on the population. Sounds like roughly 1/3 of the fish that were caught died post-release, even when carefully handled and released.
5. X2Power is more than just premium boat batteries….
They also have lithium powersport batteries (ATV, snowmobile, etc) designed to help you accelerate faster, recharge quicker and last longer. My rigs always seem to sit quite awhile between use, so I love that those X2s maintain their charge so much longer.
Carl Jocumsen made the swap:
