Here's the skinny

There’s a kind of urgency about people who are late in booking their spring fishing trips so it didn’t appear to be out of the ordinary when I received a reservation request in early May 2010 for 4 people for the prime fishing season in June. The email was not unlike the hundreds that come in during the pre-season so I responded with a simple request for dates. The email I received back though was quite different. In the first line was the phrase “Here’s the skinny”.

We all know that when we hear this phrase, there’s inevitably a bare bones, no nonsense truth coming. And so it was for me in May 2010 with the second email. The gut-wrenching truth for this family was that the trip was a bucket-list wish for a husband, a father, a grandfather who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. It was clear that he might not have another season of health so we had to make it happen straight away.

It is no secret that my husband Gary and I came to Winefred Lake Lodge in 2009 with little experience to manage a fishing lodge. In fact, we had little knowledge of fishing in general, and even less experience. I must say that we learned an awful lot from some mighty fine folks who have come to be our guides, our counselors and our friends. But to be honest, with two years under our belts, I learned so much more than the mechanics of managing a lodge or pulling a trophy from the lake. I found out that fishing is a vehicle for spending time with someone you care about whether it’s with your best fishing buddy, your children or your family. Of course, it’s best if you mutually enjoy it but there’s so much more to fishing than just fishing.

And so, the goal last May was to make sure one man’s lone bucket-list wish was realized. They came and they fished. They caught some trophies and they took home loads of pictures. On one particularly quiet afternoon while his sons and grandson were either fishing or resting, he and I talked. I discovered that this trip was actually his gift to them. I believe that he knew there would be lots of tough times ahead with his illness and its inevitability. And when things would get really difficult, they could escape to their memories of a time together without illness or stress. This fishing trip was a time to make these memories. I am told that he talked often about this trip until he passed.

One year ago today, I met a fine group of men who came to a fishing lodge on a quest for something more than fish. It has been my distinct honor to just be witness to such a special and intimate gathering. I will take the lessons I’ve learned from it with me for as long as I live.

When you strip it all down, take away all the tackle and the techniques, the theories and the smack, you realize that two anglers in a boat are there for the love of the sport and the memories they create. It just happens that they are fishing. If you ask a fisherman about the largest fish he ever caught, he could tell you about its species, length, weight, the weather, the wind direction and a detailed account of how he managed to catch it. He would also be able to tell you, without hesitation, who was there in the boat with him. It’s just that way, when you’re fishing.

So, here’s the skinny:

Go fishing! But remember it’s not just about the fish!

Dedicated to the memory of

Victor B. Leatzow Jr. of Kalispell, Montana

June 24, 1944 - March 3, 2011

for his contribution to my life.