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What’s in your wallet, Forrest Wilder?

A Texas fisherman, who works as a reporter, keeps a memento of his time on the water in his wallet.

Forrest Wilder: My name is Forrest Wilder. I live in Austin, Texas. I’m an environmental reporter for the Texas Observer Magazine.

Just a standard wallet, folds open, it’s camouflage. Couple credit cards, bunch of business cards and a few other odds and ends. This is my fishing license and I carry it in my wallet because I go fishing pretty often. I started fishing at a really young age. My dad’s a hardcore fisherman. And it’s just what we did for fun.

It’s not easy at all; in fact, it’s really difficult to be a good fisherman. And it requires a real concentration and a kind of awareness of not just yourself, but your environment. Makes you think sometimes like a fish, just kind of a weird headspace to be in. You know, “if I was a bass, where would I be right now?”

It has some sentimental value, but certainly, if I’m at work, I keep a photograph of myself at my desk fishing on the Nueces Bay in Corpus Christi. Maybe when I look at that fishing license, it kinda helps me day dream a little bit, get through the day.

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