Lived with my dad growing up right off the Illinois River. Both my parents loved to fish and I have them both to play for all of my bass pro shop bills. I caught the bass fishing bug when my dad remarried and my step-mom father had 2 strip pit lakes and 7 strip pit ponds in Central Illinois. What really hooked me was when ESPN had the good Bassmaster fishing shows, Bill Dance, and Jimmy Houston shows. Like most, I have my dad to blame for my fishing bug. He sticks to panfish, but whenever we get in a boat together he challenges me to a fish off. Words can't explain the patience he had when getting out all of those swallowed hooks in bluegill and me coming home with baskets of fish for HIM to clean.