Henderson angler celebrates his 70 years by fishing at favorite lake

By Sean Ammerman

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 | 3:48 p.m.

When Henderson resident Mike Sisco turns 70 on Thursday, he plans to celebrate his birthday the best way he knows how — with a hook and a line in the water.

Sisco has been a devout fisherman for 45 years, spending about 22 of those years traveling to professional tournaments from his home in Henderson.

He continues to fish about a dozen tournaments a year, even if he's a generation older than most the competition.

But prize money is not what keeps a rod in Sisco's hand. He would rather be on the water than anywhere else.

"I feel comfortable when I'm out in the open," he said. "I feel that if there is a supreme being, I'm closer to him out there than I could ever be in a man-made structure."

Sisco describes fishing as several hours of hard work with a few minutes of intense excitement when a fish is caught.

His love for the sport has grown with the years, especially in catching his favorite fish — the largemouth bass.

"When you first feel that hit, you never really know what's on the other end of the line," he said. "It's just a true passion for me like it is for a lot of tournament anglers. You have to be pretty dedicated and you can't take it lightly."

Sisco's passion for the sport led him to open Professional Tackle & Marine, at Industrial Park Road off West Lake Mead Parkway, the oldest bait and tackle shop in the city.

The business has operated in various locations for 12 years, but Sisco's interests were never in making money.

"There were a lot baits that you couldn't buy locally, so I got a business license and just starting buying direct," he said. "It kind of escalated from there. I didn't even open it with the concept of making money."

Sisco's reputation among the fishing community has grown as the store has evolved into a pro angler hangout. On any given afternoon, the table in the back room will be surrounded with fishermen telling stories and passing the time.

Some customers visit the store for weeks before buying anything.

"A lot of people go to a bar, we come here," said Jeff Davis, a local angler. "After a hard day of work, we come here and talk fishing all day."

Sisco's wife of 30 years, Susie, who co-owns the store, enjoys the daily company of interesting characters.

"They love to talk about what happened while they fished over the weekend," Susie Sisco said. "If one of the top pros did well, they discuss what kind of bait or rod they used."

Most recently, Mike Sisco took home a prize for catching the biggest fish —a 4.7 pound bass — of the FLW National Guard Tournament at Lake Mead in May.

"He will be the first one in the morning and fish clear until dark," Davis said. "He has a tenacity to stay on the water whether he's having a good or bad day. He will battle all day even if he doesn't have a chance to win it."

In the three decades Sisco has fished Lake Mead, he's gotten to know the waters as well as anyone.

But the challenging waters and formidable heat of Lake Mead still provides ample frustration that keeps him on a fishing boat.

"If you can learn to fish Lake Mead, you can fish anywhere," he said. "This is a tremendously big body of water and nature doesn't always cooperate with the human mind. It teaches you so many things. You refresh yourself, you renew yourself and you find way to overcome adversity."