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The Lady and the Legend

By: Jean Evert

I recently made a bold move that has paid off as one of the best decisions I have ever made. After the death of first my husband and later my boyfriend – two great fishing partners – I decided that I would not sit around waiting for my turn to die but, instead, chose to continue doing the things that I loved to do in the past.

I purchased a new Legend boat at the Barrie dealership and, after a short lesson from Henry on how to handle the boat (and asking myself if I had made a big mistake), I settled in to a trailer summer home on a lake near Burks Falls and began fishing alone. I’m certain that learning to properly bring my boat in to the dock must have provided some entertainment for others in the park at first, but eventually I mastered the skill fairly well. My mentors would have been proud of me!

The next challenge was learning to take fish off by myself – a totally new experience for me. One of the first I caught was a big pike – about 10 lb. I looked over the side of the boat at him and said, “Now, what am I going to do with you?” With the help of a “lip-grabber”, I managed to hold it and take a picture of it before releasing it. By now, my sons and grandchildren were quite impressed!

My real reward was catching a 13 lb., 32 inch, pickerel this summer and netting it myself! Naturally, I didn’t have my camera with me, but luckily I was only a short distance from my friend on the lake, who met me at her dock with a camera after a frantic call from my cell phone. Luckily her husband was there to help me release the fish. When it didn’t revive at first, he reached down and opened one gill, after which it took off to, hopefully, produce more offspring for others to catch and enjoy in the future. My taxidermist assures me he can produce a replica of my big catch. I already have a 17 lb. pike which he did for me 16 years ago. Other memorable fish which I have caught are a 10 lb. speckled trout, a 6 ¼ lb. bass and a 10 lb. muskie. Catching big pike are my favourites, although I must admit that I seem to be coming down with a bad case of pickerel fever recently!

Two years ago I never would have thought I could even make a 6 hour drive up and around Toronto to get to fishing country, let alone handle a boat and manage fishing by myself. Now I take 401, 407 and 400 and get there in 4 hours. I even survived meeting a car going the wrong way on 401! So, take heart, ladies – and gentlemen! When it looks as if your reason for living is gone and life will never be the same – make that decision to keep on doing the things you love to do. You will find strength you never knew you had if you truly look for it. A little help from the Man Upstairs comes in handy too!

Best of all, I am carrying on the fishing tradition with my grandchildren that my husband first enjoyed with his grandparents. The cherished times that we spent fishing and camping with our children are some of the best memories that we have, and now, as a family, we are making memories in my Legend boat to pass on to THEIR children. These memories truly will be “A LEGEND”.

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