PARK RAPIDS, Minn. — Like many youngsters growing up in northern Minnesota, TJ Erickson (Timothy James, in case you’re wondering) started fishing at an early age in his hometown of Roseau.

At first, his dad was always there, and then with advancing independence as he aged, Erickson was one of those kids you see either walking or riding a bike toward a local fishing spot, toting a fishing pole in one hand and a tackle box in the other.

“We grew up on the Roseau River,” Erickson said. “That was right in my backyard, and so from the time my parents would let me walk down to the Roseau Dam by myself, I would go down there and be casting.”

Some 25 or so years later, he still often fishes by himself, but his audience is slightly changed from just his parents waiting at home, or friends who wo

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