Brotherhood Outdoors

In 2009, Dan McNally, a pipefitter with United Association (UA) Local 597 in Chicago, joined host Tom Ackerman for a Texas bass fishing trip on the USA’s former television show, Escape to the Wild. Being on the show gave him the chance to share his union pride and the impact his father and stepfather, who were both suffering from terminal illnesses, had on his life.

  When he learned about the USA’s Brotherhood Outdoors series, he saw it as a chance to give his Local 597 union buddies, Fred Popplewell and Kevin Crum, a similar opportunity to share their stories and return the favor by inviting Ackerman to join the trio on a Lake Michigan trout and salmon fishing adventure.

  "I hope the definition of brotherhood rings true in our episode," said McNally. "I want viewers to see the value of having a set of friends you trust and enjoy enough to work with and still want to spend time with outside of the shop. That’s what Kevin, Fred and I have."

  McNally, Popplewell and Crum all work for AMS Mechanical Systems, one of the largest pipefitting contractors in the Chicago area.  And when they’re not on the job or chasing fish, they’re working to make their communities a better place to live.

  Besides being a husband, father and project manager with AMS, McNally coaches youth soccer and T-ball.  Crum, who manages the Indiana Division of AMS, serves as a cub master with the Boy Scouts of America and a volunteer baseball and football coach. And Popplewell, the shop superintendent with the Indiana Division of AMS, is an active Ducks Unlimited volunteer, who helps with banquet dinners and shooting events that raise money for wetland’s conservation.

  In this episode of Brotherhood Outdoors, the three fishing amigos invite Ackerman aboard a tricked out 30’ Baha Cruiser 299 Sportfish to pursue Lake Michigan’s prized salmon (Kings and Cohoes) and big lake trout. Their arsenal includes a wide array of rods, reels, downriggers, and the requisite assortment of "secret" spoons, flies and other lures.

  While the salmon prove less cooperative, the lake trout hit their lures with the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect from big, predatory meat-eating fish. And it’s "game on" as the gallant anglers contend to see who will claim the title for landing the biggest fish.

  Does anybody top Crum’s 14 pound laker?  How does Ackerman fare against the pipefitting trio? And how does Ackerman react when Popplewell, who nobody would mistake for a Chicago Bears cheerleader, performs a truly acrobatic move on the deck the Anne Marie?

  See for yourself in this episode of Brotherhood Outdoors. Tune in to Sportsman Channel at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 29.