Jack Duffy’s legacy as a consummate Lake Michigan charter captain was cemented in early July of 1976 after a rod bent while long-lining a Flatfish in shallow water near Arcadia. He was in a small boat meant for fair weather and near-shore outings.
Duffy landed a brown trout on 6 pound line that tipped the scale at 31 pounds, 8 ounces. Word spread quickly in the angling world, and Duffy’s reputation swelled. The record stood for nearly eight years.
“After I caught the state record brown, things took off. I was pretty lucky, but like Dave (Richey, now-deceased outdoor writer) said, ‘You put in your time.’ Nobody was fishing brown trout at the time and I had been fishing them for five years. Michigan wasn’t planting brown trout then, so prevailing winds probably brought the fish here from Wisconsin,” Duffy said.
