Most would not consider eight hours on a boat an ideal way to spend a Saturday morning; however, Senior Jeff Spirek has come to love this routine.

Spirek was hired as a deck mate on a fishing charter in June of last summer. Since then, he has been on trips almost every weekend and is strongly considering becoming a deck mate as a future career.

“I could absolutely see myself taking this into a career. That’s kind of the plan at this point; doing that May through September and into October probably, and then spending my winters up on Lake of the Woods,” Spirek said.

While Spirek loves his job, he also acknowledges that there are a lot of responsibilities.

“I make sure all the baits are set and ready to go second for when we get out to the spots. On top of that, I got to check and maintain the boat motors. I got to check oils and all that and fill them up as they need…I work one side, he works the other; I usually net all the fish. And yeah, it’s kind of just catching fish, putting them in the box and then resetting the line,” Spirek said.

He is also a varsity cross country runner for DGS. Finding a balance between two time consuming activities can be difficult. A day on the lake is a full day commitment; however, Spirek has no issue spending time on something he is passionate about.

“That’s kind of what I do for between six to eight hours, depending on the trip. Sometimes you get two trips a day,” Spirek said.

Spirek’s mother, Mariah Spriek, shares her feelings on his occupation.

“I think it was a great opportunity, and for somebody who loves fishing and the fishing business it was perfect for Jeffrey… If you love what you do, you never work a day of your life,” Spirek said.