Usually, a well-told fishing story will earn you a couple of hearty pats on the back and if the tale was particularly good and the listeners generous, maybe a beer or two.

Grant Fry got a lot more mileage than that out of his tale of man versus fish.

The Oxford Village resident recently won the Pure Michigan Fishing Tale Sweepstakes.

Folks were invited to submit their stories of fun and success on the water, but they had to be told in 250 words or less.

“You weren’t allowed to do a lot of embellishing,” said Fry, who lived in Orion Township for 30 years prior to moving to the Oxford Lakes subdivision.

His submission entitled, “A Half Day of School” recounted an exciting trip that he and his sons, Brandon, 32, and Drew, 30, took to Harbor Beach about 10 years ago.

“I have a bunch of fish stories, but this was a really good one,” he said.

They were trolling in Lake Huron when they all simultaneously hooked some steelhead that started leaping out of the water, causing their lines to cross.

“I swear, once they’re hooked, they spend most of their time in the air,” Fry said.

Eventually, the trio of anglers was able to untangle their lines and successfully land all three steelhead.

“The fish were all between 6 and 8 pounds. They were all 22 to 26 inches long,” Fry said.

Fry’s winning tale earned him a prize package that includes a two-night stay in the Great Lakes Bay Region, an all-day walleye fishing charter in Saginaw Bay, $100 Cabela’s gift certificate, $50 Frank’s Great Outdoors gift certificate and a brand new tackle box.

The all-day charter will be with Capt. Mark Martin, a professional fisherman, who competes in tournaments, writes, teaches and promotes the sport. Martin has the distinction of being the first-ever Professional Walleye Trail World Champion, a title he earned in 1990 in International Falls, Minnesota. On average, Martin catches more than 600 walleye per season in the 6-to-12-pound range.

Fry is hoping to schedule things so his sons, both of whom are Lake Orion High School graduates, can accompany him because they all don’t get to go fishing together as much as they used to.

Fry has been fishing since his boyhood days growing up on the west side of the state in White Cloud.

He started fishing because of a health issue. He was born with a cleft palate, which meant he was prone to ear infections, so he wasn’t allowed to go swimming with the other kids.

“When everybody else went swimming, I went fishing,” Fry said. “I was always fishing.”

That love of fishing stayed with him. He enjoys the “peacefulness” of the sport.

“It gets you out and it gets you away from the noise,” Fry said. “There’s a no e-mail/texting rule on the boat.”

Fry’s been fishing in many places across the state, but his most productive spot is Paint Creek, a trout stream located here in Oakland County.

“I catch more fish there than I do anywhere else,” he said. “My largest brown trout, which was 22 inches long, came out of Paint Creek. It was a beaut. Took a picture of it and threw her back in.”

What is Fry’s favorite fish to pursue?

It’s a “tie” between two extremes – King Salmon and bluegills.

“There’s nothing as thrilling as having a King Salmon grab that lure when you’re trolling and hearing the drag just stream 100 feet of line out, then fighting it for 10 or 15 minutes and finally getting it into the boat,” Fry said. “You’re peacefully cruising along, then all of a sudden, hell breaks loose.”

As far as bluegills go, he loves the action of catching them in the shallows when they’re spawning using a 4-weight fly rod he built and some foam spiders.

Fry encourages folks to grab a rod and reel, and hit the water for some fun and relaxation. “I truly believe fishing is a good experience for everyone,” he said.

He also encourages folks to “take a kid fishing,” but remember one thing – “It’s not about the adult catching fish or using the super fancy methods. It’s about the kids having fun.”

“When they’re really young, the snacks may be more important than how many fish they catch,” Fry said.