Updated at: 08/19/2009 10:47 PM

Herring Fishing

Herring is one of the most highly demanded fish in the Northland. It takes a special person to get it to the table. For the last 24-years Stephen Dahl has been fishing commercially for herring on the north shore of Lake Superior. "I kind of bristle a little bit sometimes when people say were the last of the mohicans, no we're alive and well and the demand is huge, apprentices waiting," said Dahl.

Dahl's day starts at 5:30 in the morning after netting up to a thousand pounds of herring depending on the time of year. He's off to filet and deliver fresh Lake Superior herring to your favorite local spots."I love it, I mean it has to, it's just in your blood somewhere," he said. "I'm thankful for everyday on the lake really, make a living extracting a raw resource."

Being out on the water of Lake Superior is, as he describes, the best part of his day. "Just to see the sun come up and be out here at that point," he said. The herring season runs from the beginning of April towards the end of December, at the mercy of the ice. "In the summer it's usually pretty slow and the fish are more dispersed. Some days the end of the net just looks like it's a hundred million miles away," said Dahl.

The job requires patience, independence, and an ability to withstand the bitter cold. "I like cold, you need to like cold for one thing I guess, but I mean it's a bit tough."

Dahl's love for literature inspired him to write a book providing a glimpse into his life. The title is "Knife Island, Cirlcling a Year in a Herring Skiff." "Sharing stories is a wonderful way to just know what other people do," he said.

His life combines his passions and a way to not only survive, but thrive. "When you go to deliver fish the restaurants it's fun because come in the back door and they say herring guy is here."