My Name is Shane Hendricks and I LOVE to fish. I have been fishing my entire life. I grew up fishing the shores of the Misouri River and local lakes in North Dakota. We didn't target specific species of fish, for my Dad it was about getting the family out fishing and having quality time together. The outdoors is a great place for families to bond and a love for it was instilled in me at an early age. After high school I played in a band for a few years and traveled a lot. Everytime through Minnesota, I would go out and get a fishing license and hit some water near me. I didn't get much into techniques, and what worked on specific days, I just wanted to be outside on the water. I then moved to Omaha for two years and didn't get a chance to do much fishing down there. After that, I moved back to North Dakota and went fishing when I had time.

In 2000 I migrated to the great state of Minnesota. I hadn’t fished as much as I wanted to in recent years, but with all the lakes here it didn’t take me long to start hitting it again. I started reading and learning more about fishing, how many different techniques to use at different times of the year. I also gained a love for ice fishing as I started to learn more about the sport of fishing. I bought my first boat five years ago and spent time really learning how to fish out of boat. It was just like learning to fish all over again. The next few years were spent honing my skills and producing fish.

In the fall of 2006 my boat was in for repair. I found someone on a fishing website to take me out in his boat. He fishes only the St. Croix River. Now I had fished the river from time to time but it was never with a great deal of success. Learning new techniques from this River Rat and how to read the river grew my confidence and I found myself thinking about and fishing the river more and more. By spring 2007, I had decided I would hit lakes in the winter for ice and occasionally in the summer but my main focus would be on the River. I have spent the majority of my fishing time the last couple of years on the scenic St. Croix River. I have learned a lot in the last two years, have made some great friends, and have some great fish stories. My biggest walleye ever, 28” (in the first picture on this page), came out of the St. Croix River. Spring and fall is the best time on the river. There's days that we will catch limits of keeper walleye with a lot of under sized ones that go back. It is truly one of the best bodies of water in the state. I fishh mainly in the "Bluffs" area of the river. Mainly from the Kinni down to Prescott.

Though Walleye are the main target for myself on the river, I love getting into all the other fish the river has to offer. Crappies from 8 to 14 inches are not uncommon. Once you get into them you can enjoy a couple of ours of fun fishing. You have the chance of tying into a large strugeon at times. Catfish, Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass are plentiful around the river. The sheephead and silver bass can keep you busy when the walleye bite is slow as well.