Michael Jordan has his lucky shorts, Serena Williams has her lucky socks, and fisherman Nolan Gifford has his lucky cap.

“I’m a big outdoorsman,” the sophomore said. When out on the lake, “I wear a lucky cap. It is a Los Angeles Kings hockey cap.”

Gifford’s fishing expertise and this lucky cap have allowed him to meet the monsters of the lake.

“I caught a 24-incher, but right before I could get it in the boat it snapped off the line,” he said.

“We’re on a big, deep, secluded lake, so we get a lot of fish at out cabin,” Gifford said. “You have to know where the spots are to get certain types of fish.”

Gifford’s family has a cabin at Sturgeon Lake in in Canada which they go to about three times every year.

This idyllic lake has been the perfect classroom for learning the art of fishing. Gifford explains the difficult pre-fishing process.

“First, you need a lot minnows because the fish are very aggressive. We have traps to catch minnows so we don’t need to pay for bait. We usually take a lot of minnow traps. The fish like to pull the line, so we lose a lot of our minnows,” he said.

“Bass is my favorite fish. I like to watch them jump out of the water, so I use a top-water bait to lure the bass to come up out of the water and grab it. While you’re trying to reel them in in, the bass will hop out of the water,” he said.

In the future, Gifford plans to continue his fishing expeditions in other Midwestern territories and Canada.