For many a father and son, fishing has served as a bonding activity. A chance to spend time together in nature while pursuing the thrill of the catch. This is holds true for UNMC's Warren Sanger, Ph.D., and his son, Travis Sanger, M.D. The only difference between the Sangers and many other father-son fishing tandems is the Sangers are really, really good at fishing. Evidence of this came when the Sangers were named "2006 Top Gun Team of the Year" by the Nebraska Walleye Association. The Sangers snagged the title after winning the NWA's walleye series, which ran from April to October and featured six weekend tournaments held at reservoirs across Nebraska.
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| UNMC's Warren Sanger, Ph.D., right, and his son, Travis Sanger, M.D., were named "2006 Top Gun Team of the Year" by the Nebraska Walleye Association. The Sangers earned the title for being the top scorers in the NWA series, which featured six walleye tournaments held around the state from April to October. (Photo provided by the Nebraska Walleye Association.) |
"Travis is really the fisherman, I follow his lead," said Warren Sanger, professor and director of the MMI Human Genetics Laboratory. "I just do what he tells me to." As Travis grew up, he and Warren participated annually in the Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament. When he was 7-years-old, Travis caught the biggest fish during that year's tournament. Travis, a UNMC College of Medicine graduate who is a general practitioner in Chamberlain, S.D., became such a good angler that he could have made a living fishing, Warren said. "He had to decide whether he wanted to become a professional fisherman or a physician. He's still not sure if he chose the right one," Warren said. "He's the one who really powered our run during the series." It was a run that featured the Sangers finishing well in most series tournaments, including a first and second-place finish. Their overall efforts left them atop the series leader board at the season's end. For winning the state tournament, the Sangers qualified for the Cabela's Master Walleye Circuit Tournament in Green Bay, Wis., in June. Aside from the Green Bay tournament, the Sangers would like to defend their state walleye crown this coming season and will, Warren said, if time permits. "If we can, we'll be meeting up at reservoirs across the state trying to catch more fish than the other guys," Warren said. "With Travis on the boat, I like our chances."