A couple of months ago, I reported on a story of a gentleman who went ice fishing on his 101st birthday. He caught two very nice bass. After my post, his granddaughter contacted me saying he would get a bigger kick out of being on a Minnesota fishing website than on TV. While that was nice of her to say, I can’t imagine anything cooler than catching keeper bass on TV.
A few months later, as I was considering topics for the lull of the winter fishing season, I thought it would be fun to interview Mr. Wick to hear some stories from someone who has seen it all, not only in fishing, but in life in general. I contacted his granddaughter in February, but he was ill at the time. Unfortunately, he passed away before I got a chance to meet with him.
From what I understand, Mr. Wick started fishing when he was four years old and never stopped. He also hunted on a regular basis. In this day of graphite rods, GPS electronics, and $50,000 boats, we take for granted how it all started. Anglers like Wick used simple poles (made of steel, no less) with simple baits and were able to catch their limit of fish by just putting in the time. The boat Wick used until age 99 was bought in 1955 for $53. He never bought a motor for it and was the source of power for it even the last time he was in it.
For more on Kermit Wick and his life, click through to these articles:
- In Memory of Kermit Wick – Field and Stream
- Kermit Wick: ‘I’m just an ordinary 101-year-old man…’ – MinnLocal.com
- Fisherman scores on his 101st birthday – KARE11
- Fisherman Scores on his 101st birthday – my post
Too often, in today’s world, thanks to MTV, video games, and cell phones as powerful as PCs, our attention span can barely be kept for more than a few seconds, let alone a few minutes. Those of us that appreciate the outdoors are less like that, but in our daily lives, we can fall into that trap as well. I often find myself skimming blog posts that appear too long just to move on to the next one.
Wick is an example of a classic fisherman who put in the time and really understood the fish he was after. We’ve lost sight of those skills in our world of fancy gadgets and technology. How many fish do you think you could catch with a basic boat, no motor, no electronics, and a steel fishing rod? Maybe you should try going back to the basics for a day and see how well you do. It will tell you whether you really understand the fish, or are using modern technology as a crutch.
That’s a very inspiring story! To be 101 and ice fishing – wow! RIP Mr. Wick. We are VERY spoiled now.