By: Ashley Smith

I met 12 year-old Eric Curtis on the dock of Cannonball Prairie Pond. He was running over to get a few more casts out there before the fishing event was over that day. He was out of breath but totally focused. “Oh! I got one! Check out the fish I just caught!” My 6 year-old was holding another bluegill in front of his face. He took the time to give out some high fives and take the fish off her hook. Then my son starts looking through his tacklebox and asking a bunch of questions. Eric then gave them a complimentary lure. 

Eric was only a legend before that fateful day on the dock. I had heard from several of my staff about “Eric The Fish Whisperer.” He had been coming to ALL of our fishing programs for several years at this point. I met his parents that night and talked to him about potentially helping us open Cannonball Prairie Pond more often for youth fishing events. They were all in. I needed to know the backstory of The Fish Whisperer. Lucky for me, he agreed to an interview as well as volunteering.

So Eric, I understand you like to fish--and we will get into that later. Have you always been into the outdoors? Yes I would rather be outside doing something then be inside playing video games.

What is your earliest outdoor memory? Going to Bass Pro fishing event on Father’s Day weekend at three years old and catching my first fish, which was a bluegill.

 What is your earliest Metroparks memory? Playing at all of the different Metropark playgrounds.

 Favorite Metropark? Cannonball Prairie because it’s open to only kids fishing and there’s a lot of big fish to catch.

 Of course it’s Cannonball Prairie! I love all these photos! I feel like I am watching you grow up there. How did you get into fishing in the first place? I found my dad‘s fishing pole in a closet during COVID. He took me fishing and that is how I got started.

 What is your favorite part about fishing? Catching big fish and the fight of reeling them in.

 What is your least favorite part about fishing? Getting snagged in the water and losing fishing lures.

Tell me the story about this giant catfish! We were out fishing and I was not catching anything. We stopped by Archbold Reservoir to try there. We are getting ready to leave when I decided to change my lure to an orange and silver spoon in about 15 minutes. I hook something which I thought was a log I keep reeling when the log took me for a ride. We got into a fight for about 15 minutes and when I was reeling it in I saw it was a huge fish. I got it to the shore and my dad grabbed the net. I landed my biggest fish ever—a 35 pound, 41 inch long flathead catfish which bent our net. 

I see the photo of you helping another kid with a bass this year! Same net? Haha yes, that is the same net. 

What is your dream job? I would like to become a pro Bass fisherman. 

What is your dream vacation? I would like to go to Florida to go deep-sea fishing. 

What’s one thing you could say to other kids younger than you who want to catch a big fish like that? Work hard, keep trying, don’t give up. With a lot of practice and patience, you can catch a big fish too. 

How are you feeling about volunteering? I’m excited about helping other kids to learn and get excited about fishing. 

You too can meet the legendary Fish Whisperer! Check out the Youth Fishing Program dates HERE. You will either see Eric fishing or volunteering, or both.

Thank you for volunteering Eric!