Who needs a boat? There are abundant fish out there, all reachable from the convenience of shore

It’s spring, and the walleye season has just opened. I have an old fiberglass rod and a Mitchell spinning reel spooled with 10-pound-test mono —hand-me-downs. There are two lures in my pocket — a Five-of-Diamonds and a Red-and-White. They may seem more suited to pike or lake trout fishing, but it’s 1960, and for a skinny 12-year-old, this is as good as it gets.
Most of us start our angling lives as shore-bound anglers. It’s easy, it’s accessible and it’s cheap when compared to the price of a decent boat. Most of all, it works. Get the season, the location and your timing right, and you can catch almost every species of fish from the comfort of the water’s edge.

Written by Michael Snook