Tag Archives: F/V Real Glory

Lake Erie commercial fishermen sell catch right off their boat

Whatever Jim Shaffer and Brian Sontag are doing, they’d rather be fishing. “We’ve been friends since second grade,” Sontag said. “We have pictures of us fishing in creeks.” They have “real” jobs. Shaffer, 46, sells furniture; Sontag, 45, does computer wiring for Viscom Systems. Slowly but surely, though, they’re making a go of commercial fishing with their boat, Real Glory, and Sontag’s trap net license, both of which they landed six years ago. “Originally, I had my captain’s license,” Sontag said. “I was going to run charters and open a bait-and-tackle shop.” But he had put in for a Lake Erie trap net license, which is drawn by lottery, and got one. They decided to try to make a go of that instead. click here to read the story 11:21