Eric Guerin

I have loved the water for as long as I can remember. My maternal grandparents had a cottage on the Muskegon River several hundred yards from Houghton Lake. When we visited during the summer I would jump out of our wood-paneled station wagon with my fishing rod in hand. If I wasn’t fishing I was catching frogs, swimming or wandering the beach. As long as I was near the water, all was good.

My paternal grandparents lived in Caseville, a block from Saginaw Bay. During summer visits I was the first one awake (though I struggled to get out of bed in time for school), to either fish for pike near the marina or for perch off the breakwall. In the winter it was ice fishing for perch. To this day I can’t think of a better meal than lake perch caught in the winter, fried by my grandmother, just hours after they were caught. In the spring, the perch run was incredible. I often wonder if it still is.

My family and I are blessed to live on a lake in southwest Kalamazoo County. With work and other obligations I don’t fish or otherwise enjoy the lake as much as I’d like. I have a daughter with autism who keeps me honest – if our pontoon boat is in the water, she insists on a boat ride every day. Though the daily ritual sometimes feels like a chore, I quickly remind myself that time spent with my daughter, on the lake, is always time well spent.

My affliction with water is not limited to lakes. I have more aquariums than I care to admit, with a variety of both fresh and saltwater species. I have bred both dwarf and greater seahorses, as well as many different soft and hard water cichlids. I have a saltwater aquarium in my office which serves as a nice distraction. My wife and coworkers tolerate my habit.

I am fortunate that I have been able to combine my love for water with my professional life. For most of the 20+ years I have been a lawyer a significant part of my practice has involved representing waterfront property owners, lake associations and businesses in connection with riparian rights, boundary issues, water or related natural resource issues. I have served on two lake boards as well as local and county planning commissions.

Though I may have an obsession with water, I have other interests as well. I am a graduate of Michigan State University and a die-hard fan. I am a fan of Detroit’s professional sports teams. I love all things Michigan. I flyfish, though not nearly enough.