The sun was beating down on the young Ed Retherford and his grandfather, as he was casually chucking minnows out of the boat. With each minnow tossed, the water splashed up and onto his youthful skin and made him giggle, as he stared down at the ripples holding the next victim waiting to be sacrificed. His grandpa stared into Ed’s eyes with a look of disappointment, and he knew he had done something wrong. Who knew the two year old throwing minnows out of boat would someday be one of the most influential charter boat captains on the Great Lakes.
Ed Retherford grew up in an outdoor-based family. He is an avid hunter, and spent a lot of his childhood outside. He fondly remembers a room in his grandparents house that was designated to fishing supplies. Oddly enough, Ed was not very interested in fishing until he was in high school.
Ed started his career as a teacher, fishing for fun in his spare time. In 1969 he decided to embark on a new path, which led him to become the captain of the Trout Scout V. Not only was he a great teacher, but now he had the best of both worlds. Teaching what he loved, and fulfilling his passion for fishing. Fast forward to 2019, and Ed is now the longest running charter-boat captain on the Great Lakes.
When Ed began his journey as a charter boat captain, it was not a very common thing. He actually made Alpena famous because it was the only place in the country that you could fish brown trout due to the plant in 1971. People began to call him “Mr. Brown Trout.” Ed was even featured on ESPN outdoors channel. He truly put Alpena, Michigan on the map!
Throughout his time as a charter boat captain, he has had some very unique adventures. One of which is featuring a pilots pair of aviators. Ed was hosting a group of pilots who brought their sunglasses. One was leaning over the boat looking into the water, and his glasses fell off. The next fish they reeled in at 100 feet, was proudly displaying the aviators. This got Ed another appearance on ESPN. While this may be hard to believe, Ed swears by the story.
If you want to go out on Ed’s boat, you need a fishing license and warm clothes. He makes two trips a day, and at the end of the trip, he will even clean your fish for you. If you don’t want to keep your fish, he donates the fillets to the local soup kitchen. Ed also serves as an advisor to the Dept of Natural Resources Lake Huron Citizen Fishery Advisory; and contributes one week each year with the 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp help in Presque Isle, Michigan, where every first year camper has an opportunity to charter fishing on Lake Huron with this seasoned captain.
Alpena is very fortunate to be the home to such an incredible person; who promotes our area, a passion for Lake Huron, and spreads the love of fishing. Thank you Captain Ed, for doing such great things for so many.
Story written by Sawyer Haugerud, Alpena High School- Science in the Sanctuary 2019
Resources: Ed Rutherford, Trout Scout Charters, Personal Interview