I graduated from college in 1970 and for the next 16 years I led a bachelor’s life. A good part of that time was dedicated to my fishing years with the rig above. I built a custom interior in the van for sleeping and hauling all the junk required. The 1976 Chevy van was my third new vehicle I had purchased. I traded in a 1973 Chevy Laguna, which replaced my 1970 Mustang. Yeah, in those years you pretty much wore out a vehicle in three years.

Getting to my fishing years, eight months a year I was on lakes through the U.S. One year I spent an entire month going to lakes from Indiana through Texas fishing. But, in the back of my mind, I really never “loved” fishing, it was really just an excuse to get out by myself in a serene environment. After I was married in 1986, I abruptly ended my fishing years, as I no longer had a need for that.

I eventually sold both the van and the boat for next to nothing to a friend.