Chicago police officer turns lifelong passion into Lake Michigan fishing charter

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — This week’s Made in Chicago highlights a Chicago business owner who splits his work life between protecting and serving as a police officer — and boating and fishing with his venture Thin Blue Line Fishing.

“I used to have a passion [for] being a fisherman and having my own talk show, but I also had a passion for being a police officer,” said Thin Blue Line Fishing owner Ernesto Amparan

For Amparan, the passion for fishing started at an early age.

“I remember being a little kid and going fishing with my father on Lake Michigan,” he said. “Perch fishing, salmon fishing — I grew up fishing.”

He then made the dream of becoming a police officer a reality and spent 20 years with multiple departments, including the Chicago Police Department. In 2024, Amparan briefly retired from policing and opted, instead, to report for duty on Lake Michigan.

“I purchased a boat about eight, nine years ago,” Amparan said. “It was a small, 14-footer. Some of my buddies would ask me to take them out, and I realized it was something I could probably see myself doing.”

His retirement from policing lasted only six months, though. Amparan told WBBM he returned the Chicago Police Department earlier in July. He now works both jobs full-time. Amparan said he's still doing five to eight trips each week with Thin Blue Line Fishing, where he offers all kinds of tours with all kinds of people.

“It's crazy to see just how many people who live in Chicago have never experienced being on Lake Michigan,” he said.

Amparan said each and every trip is different. A perfect example: A trip WBBM Newsradio reported on earlier this month, when Amparan helped wrangle in a massive sturgeon while giving a team of doctors a tour.

“Being able to see that in-person was really cool, the amazing fishery that we have and the background of the city of Chicago,” he said. “It's just a great time.”

More information about Thin Blue Line Fishing can be found online .

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