Huckleberry Finn was a child of the Upper Mississippi. Wendell Schroeder was, too - and still is. They both grew up toting rod and gun, one foot onshore, one foot offshore - true river rats seeking the freedom and adventure of America's River. Huck eventually drifted downriver with the currents of time, but the lunker fish and turtles he sought still lurk below the shiny surface of the river's northern waters.

Big fish have always thrived in big, ancient waters, and it's no different today.Yet few people know about the river monsters of the Upper Mississippi. You have to peer below the surface. That's what Wendell does. At 65, he's still fascinated by what his nets drag from the depths.