Father, son log many years
It's a cliche — like father, like son — but it certainly applies to Butler resident Pierre Grosclaude and his son, Jim.
The two don't just like to fish, they truly love the sport.
"I've fished all over this area," said Pierre, 88, who moved from France with his family when he was 7. "I used to help stock the streams around here with trout and I have a pretty good history when it comes to fishing."
Jim Grosclaude, 62, went most of his life considering the sport as simply a way to pass the time.
"It wasn't until about 10 years ago that I really started to love to fish," he said.
Not that Pierre didn't expose his son to angling at a young age.
The elder Grosclaude first went to Canada to fish when he was 19. He and his family liked the experience so much that they have returned numerous times, with Jim making his first trip when he was 12.
Last summer proved to be one of the more memorable excursions north of the border.
"The day we arrived (at Stormy Lake in Ontario), Jim wanted to go fishing right away," Pierre said. "I wanted to stay and redd things up at the camp, so he went by himself.
"The whole afternoon goes by and Jim still hasn't come back," he added. "Then it starts to get dark. I couldn't go out and look for him because he had our only boat and I was getting worried."
Around 10 p.m., Jim finally showed up at camp with a wild story to tell.
"I ended up catching three muskies and a big walleye," said Jim. "I've never hooked that many muskies in one day in my life. I had another muskie but just couldn't land him in the boat.
"I started fishing in Canada when I was 12, and for northern lake fishing, the muskie I lost was the biggest I've ever seen, about 60 pounds," said Jim. "I fought him for about a half-hour or so, but he wore me down."
Though they have caught hundreds of fish between them, the Grosclaudes keep only a small percentage."We have a few that are mounted, and we keep some to fry and eat, but I'd say we put 95 percent of them back in the water," Jim said. "The ones we like to eat are bass and walleye. Muskies are too strong to eat."Over the years, Pierre has challenged himself by using a fly rod to catch muskies."I'm up to 13," he said.For Jim, catching the fish is just one aspect of the experience."There are people who will fish a week straight in the rain, standing out there with a raincoat on," Jim said. "All they care about is getting the fish. But I enjoy the beauty of it all and I try to take it all in."We've seen bear, moose, beavers, otters — all kinds of animals up in Canada."The Grosclaudes have been to Canada enough times that they have been able to develop a relationship with many of the residents."The people who live there go out of their way to be nice to you, but we do the same," said Jim.As with any hobby or trade passed from father to son, Pierre has contributed to Jim's enjoyment of and success in the sport of fishing."He's taught me almost everything I know, but I've come up with a few tricks of my own," Jim said with a laugh.
