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A Fisherman's Heritage, Matthew G. Cooke

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

I would not be a fisherman today, if it were not for my father. He taught me to fish, cast, tie a fisherman’s knot, identify one species of fish from another. He also taught me courage. Often when we fished from one of Kelley’s Island’s many limestone shores, Dad stopped casting and dropped to his knees beside a rock. With a quick hand, he snatched brown water snakes as long as his arm. Holding the writhing serpent in front of my face, he would order me to touch it.

When we were not fishing together, Dad let me wander off, …