I am going to tell you a story that I feel is important. It is the story of how I got started in catfishing and a story that is still being written. 

I was a western North Dakota farm kid who moved to Grand Forks to attend the University of North Dakota. I had fished like two times in my life at this point. In 1998, I was fishing with an old girlfriend’s dad at their lake place and caught my very first pike. Not a big pike—just a pike—and my love of fishing was born at the young age of 22. From that moment on, I could not digest enough information about fishing and would fish for whatever, whenever.

In 2001, my fishing life would change forever, and I didn’t even know it. In the fall of 2000, we got a new sales manager at the TV station where I was an account executive; His name is Rob Horken. He also loved fishing, and we were quick friends. One day, we were talking fishing and he said, “You really need to catch some catfish from the Red River.” The river runs right through town, but we live in walleye world, so we had been driving all over to fish for other things.

One Sunday morning in late summer of 2001, he showed my buddy and I the Red River and the catfish that called it home. I caught a 6-pound catfish that morning, but that was all it took. From then on, I could not get enough of catfishing, and eventually in 2008, I completed my Coast Guard license and opened my guide service.

The first few years, guiding was an evening and weekend gig and I still worked with Rob at the TV station. We continued to talk fishing and fished together sometimes. In 2014, it was time for me to leave and fish full time, and time for him to retire.

That brings me to the point of all of this. When someone gives you the gift of fishing such as this, do not forget it. That one Sunday morning in 2001 changed the entire trajectory of my life. 

Since our departures from the TV station, I have made it a point to take my old boss/friend fishing at least once per season. This is mostly to get on the water, of course, but also to catch up on life and have a few laughs. 

As the years have gone on, I noticed that he is not putting his own boat in the river to go fishing as much anymore and has quit fishing the local tournament that he helped create in the ‘80s. That makes getting him out that much more important to me.

The big reason I am even writing this column occurred this year. It took me all season to track Rob down for a day on the river but I finally did it the first week of October (2025). October is kind of a crapshoot month to northern catfishing as everything is dictated by water temperature. 

As always, the plan was to catch up, have a few laughs and catch some catfish. It didn’t take long to get a couple very respectable fish in the boat. We laughed that if we were in a tournament, we would already be done fishing. We then moved to our second spot, one that was matching a pattern I was on. A solid bite and Rob landed a 19.8-pound channel cat. We took a picture and threw it back saying what a morning. Then a rod slammed down, bringing a bigger fish. While I was unhooking that one, another crushed the bait. That ended up being a 20/23 double with the 23-pounder being a new personal best channel cat as far as we could remember. 

We kept moving and kept catching big fish. If there was a small fish to bite, I would reel it in to “not mess up the big-fish streak” that Rob was on. About three hours into our morning, we pulled into a spot that looked just like where we caught the big double and boom, a huge bite. It was another personal best of nearly 24 pounds.

The day went on and we caught more fish, and Rob caught three more over 20 pounds to make a day’s count of six channel cats over 20 pounds, which is amazing!

In the weeks from when this magical day took place until I sat down to write this column, I am still smiling and happy that this day happened. Not only because it has been a lot of years since I have seen that many 20-pound fish in the same day, but that my old friend, the man who got me into catfishing, was able to experience this exceptional day that most never see in a lifetime.

As one mutual friend who happened to call us before the end of the day put it, “That was a career day,” and it was. It was a special day to just hang out, catch up on life and give back the gift of catfishing to the person who gave it to me so many years ago.

Remembering where you came from and those who helped you get there is important. It is important to give appreciation back when you can. It can be as simple as a visit or phone call. In this case, the annual catfishing trip that was meant to be a leisurely day on the water became something much greater.

I ask you to take advantage of any opportunity you have as an angler to take those who helped you in fishing and give the gift back. Even if it is not a lights-out day, just going will be great.