Grown men aren't the only ones who have dreams of becoming a professional walleye fisherman. Young boys also dream of long days on the water reeling in the fish with a white spot on it's tail, driving a big rig and walking across stage wearing a shirt proudly displaying his sponsors.

Ten- year old Mitchell Groenbeck of Davenport, IA is one of these boys. At the last MWC tournament of the year in Lake City, MN, Mitchell was able to see the fish he dreams about for the first time. You see, this aspiring pro has never actually caught a walleye. When he was three years old his grandpa started taking him fishing. He often fishes West Lake, the Mississippi River and farm ponds. He catches bluegills and crappies on a regular basis, with his biggest catch being a 14-inch bass!

It was a book about walleyes given to him by his grandpa that sparked his interest on a species with teeth. Not only did Mitchell read the book, he actually took it down to the local bait shop to ask questions about the pictures and the information he had read.

Seeing that her son had such a passion for walleyes, Kathy Groenbeck searched the internet for more information. On Walleye Central she found a list of tournaments. The Groenbeck family then made the trip from Davenport to Lake City so Mitchell could see a tournament first hand.

However, his experience was more than that of just sitting in the crowd watching the weights come in. Mitchell was able to lend a hand to tournament director Jim Siewart and his crew. The 5th grade fisherman put numbers on boats and released the walleyes back into Lake Pepin. Mitchell's favorite part of the tournament was touching the fish he had only seen on TV and in pictures.

Being so devoted to old marble eyes, it won't be long before he reels one in…and brings it to the stage, where he'll walk across, proudly wearing a shirt displaying his sponsors names.

by Walleye Central correspondent Keri Solis

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Inside the Ranger Boats Trailer

Standing by Eric Olson's Ranger ("Butter Boat")

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