As a kid Jim Leesberg used to ride his bike to the Thunder Bay River and fish. There on the banks of the Thunder Bay River is where Jim fell in love with fishing. As he grew up, he got intrigued in walleye fishing. Fishing for Jim was a little more than just a sport, he was genuinely into fishing and had a passion for it. According to Jim he likes catching walleye for the entertainment and the rush of energy he gets while reeling in a fish.
In the early 1990’s he heard of the Brown Trout Festival. He was considering going, because he liked fishing and he thought festival would be a great experience. His initial thoughts on the festival was there were lots of fisherman and lots of comradery. The atmosphere was also great because there were lots of good people. According to Jim, “With fisherman there are many lies because they tell lies about their fish and the size of them.¨
Jim has now been fishing the tournament for many years, and walleye are his favorite fish to catch. He has often placed anywhere from 1st to 3rd over the course of several years fishing in the walleye categories of the festival. Jim has many memories of these days on the water. One of his scariest moments was when he was fishing in 6-7 foot tall waves. This is contrasted with his most memorable experiences of catching some of the biggest fish he has ever caught. In 2017, he caught the largest walleye in the tournament.
During the 2017 Walleye Tournament Jim was out fishing near Rockport. He was just casually fishing with a reef runner 800. Soon Jim was reeling in a monster fish. He got it into the boat and was just in awe of the size of the walleye he just caught. It was 29 inches long and 9.75 pounds. Jim later was awarded with the largest walleye in the competition that year. A memorable day of fishing the during Brown Trout Festival!
For Jim the Brown Trout Festival is more than just a tournament. For him the festival is about going out on the lake, having a good time, and talking to the other fishers. He likes to catch up on what they are catching to see where the fish are and maybe learn a few more tricks or skills to put in his bag of goodies. Today Jim still enjoys fishing and going to the Brown Trout Festival.
Written by: Ethan Johnson, Alpena High School - Science in The Sanctuary 2019
Sources:
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Personal interview with Jim Leesberg
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Personal interview with Peggy Donakowski
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Brown Trout Festival Website