As a now big fish in the vast sea of Fargo North, senior Cade Franklin is managing both being a student, and the creator of a successful YouTube channel, @Cade.F.Fishing. Franklin's four years of documenting fishing trips, his fin-tastic catches, and various clips of him and his friends clowning around, have really paid off with a gill-iant 1.36K subscribers supporting his craft.
Despite what seems to be an utmost obsession with the sport of fishing—it wasn’t always Franklin’s biggest interest. “I always thought fishing was boring. I never liked it, but my one friend, Austen, got me into it. He convinced me to try it one time down at the river, and when I caught my first fish I fell in love with it,” said Franklin.
Senior Austen Zander, has a notable bro-mance with Franklin, so it is only natural that Zander was the one to get Franklin to take the bait and become hooked on the craft. “We really knew nothing about fishing at that time, so we walked down to the river, found a spot, and we just threw like candy on our hooks…we both kinda got into it together,” said Zander.
Zander is a recurring guest on the channel; whether it’s throwing lines, holding the net, or holding the camera, it is only fair that a part of Franklin's success is accredited to both Zander's kindred spirit and physical support.
Even from the beginning Franklin's drive and enthusiasm for his channel was obvious to those around him. “Cade has always been super passionate about fishing, and his channel, it’s just really inspiring to see where dedication can get you”, said senior classmate Victoria Bolstad.
Whether it was watching his videos back during class, or taking time to edit before he does his homework, Franklin has always had his sights set on his goal, with his hard-work and dedication being the divider of his work from the rest.
Part of what makes Franklin's channel as successful as it is, is his noticeable love and talent for the sport. Immediately from his page some of his best catches entail 17 and 19 pound catfish, but what is not seen to be featured is his catch of a 22 pound Catfish straight out of the Sheyenne river behind his house. “It’s on my instagram but not my Youtube, I didn’t like how the video was originally edited, but I might make an updated version to repost late this year,” Franklin said.
Despite his outstanding catches from the safety of his own home, Franklin’s favorite spots to cast a line are in Detroit Lakes and any of the surrounding areas due to the vast options they provide, but in retrospect he could make a good catch in any body of water.
Franklin’s outstanding fishing talents aren’t all that encompass who he truly is though. To his classmate Franklin is known for his personable and outgoing personality, connecting with many of his peers across all niches. “He’s a nice person, he treats everyone with kindness”, one of Franklin's classmates Matthew Vandrovec observes Franklin's pure form outside of his online persona and has similar opinions of most.
Even in Franklin’s channel bio he states, “My goal is to catch the biggest and best fish I can while traveling around with my friends and making great videos for others to enjoy while trying to help others learn more about fishing.”
The selflessness exemplified from his purpose statement is an accurate reflection of Franklin's true character. He can often be found sparking up conversation with anyone and everyone, giving a big smile and nod, and being supportive non-stop.
To anyone who wishes to follow in Franklin's footsteps and create a successful media presence, his advice is to “Keep working towards it. Don’t stop. Do not to listen to other people just because there's gonna be a lot of people who hate on you and disagree with some of your opinions.” Know that any-fin is possible if you put your mind to it!
What's your favorite spot to fish at?
In DL
What is your best catch?
Caught a 4 pound bass in DL, 22 LB Catfish
What do you use to film and edit your videos?
Camera,s computer, phone
How do you balance schoolwork and content creating
I try to get all my school stuff done, editing comes before school
What do you hope the outcome for the channel to be, do you see it as a long term thing?
I want it to grow beyond atleast 10K, lost cameras and footage
have you learned any valuable lessons through your channel if so what
Not to listen to other people
What would you recmoned to other people
have you learned any valuable lessons through your channel if so what
Not to listen to other people
What would you recommend to other people
Keep going…
Keep going…
Any-fin is possible
