NewsLocal NewsIn Your Parish

Actions

The Retired Fisherman of Eunice: What’s Your Story

Posted at 5:58 AM, Mar 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-01 14:48:41-04

In the outskirts of Eunice, the What’s Your Story team met Robert Reed, who was out enjoying his retirement by doing a little fishing.

Robert followed his heart to Eunice, moving from Sulfur to be with his fiance and changing out one fishing spot for another.

“They’ve got some good fishing in Sulfur too, but it was getting a little crowded with all the construction,” Robert said casting another worm into the lake.

While he’s lived in Louisiana since the late 70s, he hasn’t always called it home growing up in the Dakotas.

He came to Louisiana while working with the Coast Guard, and was stationed in New Orleans a complete change from the place the Coast Guard had him working before.

“They had me stationed up in Duluth, Minnesota I think it’s the coldest place on earth, they had me breaking up ice up there.”

Working on the ship the Woodrush he cruised around the same waters made famous by the folk singer Gordon Lightfoot.

“I got on it six months after Gordon Lightfoot took our ship the Woodrush out of Duluth and that’s where he wrote the song the Edmond Fitzgerald.”

Leaving Duluth for New Orleans could culturally give anyone whiplash and Robert had the kind of culture shock you might expect.

Once he left the Coast Guard he stayed in Louisiana picking up various trades from electrical to mechanical and even gas; taking a life lesson taught to him by his dad to make sure he always had more than one trade.

As the fish were biting we left Robert be and he sent us on our way to St. Landry Parish.