When I was really, really young, my dad saw in me that I was going to love to fish. He was right, I do. He made sure that I got to do lots of it. When I was really young, he baited my hook for me and he untangled all of my messes. My dad was my fishing buddy. A lot of the best memories in my life involve my dad and fish.
When I got older, the only thing that changed was that I took my dad fishing. Later, I baited his hook and I untangled his messes. But, my dad never did stop trying to help me untangle my messes! My dad was still my fishing buddy.
I have a lot of pictures with my dad and me holding fish. I have a thousand more in my head. This one is especially precious to me. I took it the last day we ever fished together. It was a bright, clear day, early in the season. It promised to be warm. My dad did not feel good but he wanted to go fishing anyway. We decided to go to Stillwater to fish off the break wall because it is easy to access and always reliable. That’s also a spot my dad used to take me when I was just a little kid. We had a good morning. We caught lots of fish – mostly Sheephead, a rough fish. Dad was primarily a pan fish kind of guy. Sunfish, crappies and silver bass from that same river delighted him the most. Later, though, dad stopped making a distinction between pan fish, game fish and rough fish. He was happy to catch any kind of fish. He was also perfectly happy when we did not catch any fish – it was our time together that mattered the most to him.
That morning did get warm. Dad was tired so I asked him if he wanted to wrap it up. He did. If I would have known that that would be the last time we would ever fish together, after 55 years or so of fishing together, hundreds of adventures, all of them good – If I knew that that would be the last time, I would have asked him if he could spend just ten minutes more with me. I would have tacked on another ten. Who knows, we might have found one more mess to untangle together…
My dad has done so much for me, across so many things. On the day I was born, I was placed in very good hands. I am lucky and I know it. I am grateful and I think he knew it because I have always made it a point to tell him. But, today is a good day to tell him again…
Dad, thanks for everything you have done for all of us. You were a good dad and a good husband to Mom. You may not have fully realized it, but everything you did for all of us has made so much possible for all of us. And, Dad, thanks for taking me fishing. You were and you are and you always will be my fishing buddy.
Great tribute and you both have alot to be proud of. Sounds like the relationship that most fathers and sons dream of.
