What Makes for 'Fishing Buddies'?, Magazine Asks Prof. Greg Schwipps '95

November 1, 2013

What constitutes "fishing buddies"? That's the question asked by New York magazine as it examines claims by U.S. Senator Mike Enzi that he and former Vice President Dick Cheney could be described as such. Enzi is in a Republican primary battle with Liz Cheney; both she and her father dismiss the characterization.

Sen. Enzi has stated, "I anchored the One Fly Fishing Contest with him one time, and I was asked to speak at his induction in the fly-fishing Hall of Fame. And we’ve talked about fishing when we’ve been together."

The magazine turns to Greg Schwipps, associate professor of English at DePauw University, who, besides authoring the award-winning novel What This River Keeps has co-authored an edition of Fishing for Dummies. "I would say you need to get into the double digits" to earn "fishing buddy" status, says Schwipps. "But I think that could be shortened if you had a handful of trips that were particularly intense."

Dan Amira writes, "Schwipps, who teaches creative writing at DePauw University, recalled one fairly terrifying experience he had with his fishing buddy. A nasty storm took them by surprise, and lightning began striking just nearby as the two friends sat trapped in an aluminum boat in the middle of the river. 'I think a true fishing buddy is someone who's gone through these trials and tribulations, and forges a real bond,' Schwipps told us. He compares the seriousness of the fishing-buddy relationship to a marriage. 'You can go out on a date, but that's certainly not your spouse.' "

Access the piece at the magazine's website.

In August 2011, Prof. Schwipps, who is a 1995 graduate of DePauw, addressed the University's Class of 2015 at the University's opening convocation, summarized in this article. Video of the address is also embedded below.