Last week I was fishing some private waters in NorCal. I was told that “Joe Cooper” was going to arrive one afternoon to fish. I was casting along one of the ranch’s Northern pools when a fellow strolled briskly up to me and greeted me with much enthusiasm. It was Joe Cooper. He gave me a few tips and we swapped some info on the bite and flies to use.I told Joe that he could fish the rest of the pool that was yet unfished that morning. Joe was fishing size #28 Midges on a 3 WT. He had hired a Gilley to carry his rods and net and release his fish for him and also keep his log as he caught the fishes. His Gilley showed and Joe began to fish. I watched from across the pool as Joe got into some good fish too.
Now Joe had driven into the ranch’s back counrty solo in a fairly new 4X4 SUV. He was dressed to the gills in fishing garb; waders, hat, gloves, protective wear. He just looked “right” and in his element. Joe is 89 years old and has been fly fishing full time for the past 45 years. I was told his house is a fly fishing shrine. Meeting Joe and seeing for myself that there are many fine years of angling ahead of someone my age (55) was inspirational.
actually it’s richard khan. i know he’s been fly fishing in the salt for 50 years, but i’m not sure of his age. in previous lives he was a gourmet chef and a professional opera singer–quite the interesting guy.
At the pay to fish pond I worked this past spring we had a bunch of regulars who were older gents.
The short walk, no trees, and no wading was attractive to the guys who don’t get around as well as they used to.
Harry was there every week. Fished a two handed 6wt sitting in a lawn chair. With a long handled landing net, he never had to get up. Harry is 85.
There were plenty of other guys in their mid to upper 80’s. Most could cast very well. Most used fiber glass rods.
I collected licences so I noticed the older guys ages. The oldest gent this year was 92!
He only fished for a short time, then sat in a lawn chair watching his family.
I hope that I’m still able to fish at that age.
“Nick’s heart tightened as the trout moved. He felt all the old feeling” …Ernest Hemingway
It had been Harry Tobe. He fly fished till the age of 85. In fact, we fished together on a nearby river. Then, shortly before he died and although not with a fly rod, he landed an 11 pound brown trout out of Seneca Lake. That was about 4 years ago. He always fished a leader with 3 flies.
It’d have to be two gents I met quite by chance on the #8 one sunny October day.
Both of them named Fernand. (I call 'em the two Fernands since I only know the real name of one of them (F. Auger). The younger of the two was 81 (he drove) and I believe the other was 8 years his seniour)
They were coming up off the beach and I asked if they had any luck. They said they’d been coming here for years and never caught a single sea trout.
I looked at their rods, leaders and flies and mentionned they MUST be from Quebec City and get their stuff rigged at the XYZ fly fishing shop. They looked at me quizically and said yes.
The shop in Quebec city gets the seasons on my homewaters mixed up and riggs folks for adult trout. The juvi’s chase after different flies.
I offered them some rods and flies and ferried the younger one a ferry across to the back eddy. In a dozen casts, he landed 3 and lost 4.
When I first arrived they both looked a bit down and showing their age. When I brought the fellow back to the beach, … he looked 20 years younger.
I see the two of them off and on pretty well every year. They always treat me to a warm conversation and a smile.
Back on that first day I met them, … the fellow who caught some trout tried to slip me a 20$ bill for my trouble. I (politely) declined … two months later I got this in the mail
Chris,
What a well deserved keepsake!..“What goes around, comes around”.
Hard for me to say the oldest, but was probably an older gent named Bob (late 70’s?) who I visited with years ago when I fed the gills & carp bread on a small creek during lunch every day. He was always out there ith his flyrod & made it look easy. In fact, that’s when I took up flyfishing again…
THANKS BOB…wherever you are!
Mike
[This message has been edited by ohiotuber (edited 30 August 2005).]
Good morning, My dad will be 85 in oct. and although he will fish from time to time with a drift rod he fished about 100 days a year with a fly rod. in 1995 I watched him hook and land a 42" hen steelhead on a waking dry about 10 mile up stream from Lewiston on the Clearwater. We got some great photos and from them I had a mount made for Christmas that year Length and gerth made this fish about 25lb. He has made 2 trips to the Clearwater this year already (no fish) and will make 10 or 12 more before he puts away the flyrod for his shotgun. His dad lived to 100… and he will most likely do the same… fishing all the way there. He started at age 8 and he still can put the knot on the backing through the Guides!!!
George Harvey was 93 last year I believe and still did a little fishing. He has not done the shows since he was 91 and I haven’t had any contact with him this past year.
Bud Caruso turned 80 years old this past spring. During the summer he resides, alone, in his motor home at the Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park, some 20 miles south of Livingston, MT.
Five days a week, Bud goes fly fishing. He says he needs the weekends to rest, and besides there are more other people fishing on weekends. Most everyone who shows up at the RV park that inquires about fishing is sent to see Bud, and he enjoys taking anyone and everyone fishing and sharing his intimate knowledge of the surrounding countyside. Somedays you’ll find him takng kids fishing. Other days he’s out fishing with the kids’ grandfathers. He takes pictures of most people he fishes with, and routinely gives these persons copies of these pictures, and continually adds to his large scrapbook filled with these memories.
For those person’s who might be lucky enough to share a day fly fishing with Bud, be forewarned: When he says he’ll pick you up at 8:00am, start looking for him about 7:30, because he gets itchy in the morning to start early. His rods will already be rigged and mounted on the roof rack atop his old Jeep ready to go!
His speciality is fishing small mountain streams, and he’ll take you miles into the mountains where you’re likely to catch handfuls of cutthroat. However, you’ll have to keep up with him, crawling down mountian sides of rocks, and you’ll likely won’t return until late in the afternoon.
In the evening, Bud usually shows about around the campfire, to swap lies, eat a dish of ice cream, and make plans for another full day of fishing ahead.
John
[This message has been edited by John Rhoades (edited 01 September 2005).]
Sounds like SCR in NorCal. I have seen pictures of Joe and Joe Jr in the photo gallery holding some very large fish. My wife and I fished there in April and landed some big ones.
Bill V-
You nailed it. SCR. Yes, Joe has caught some mighty big trout there at the ranch and has lost even bigger ones than are pictured. Wish I could spend some time and learn from him. Glad you got into them there as well. I love that place!
I’ve got to second the William Fitzgerald nomination made by Fishbum. Bill is just a great guy. While I’ve not had the leasure of fishing with him yet, I sure hope to one day.
These are the idle thoughts that posses a man’s mind when he’s not able to fish.
Uncle Dan died last year at 89. Since then and because I fish alone for years at time, it’s me.
Is not the sky a father and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings or roots their children? Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is!
