Perhaps the best moments of my life, exempting my marriage and the birth of our sons and grandkids, have been during my fishing trips with Matt and Brian. We started when the boys were young and continued thereafter. They were wonderful times and gave rise to the competition as to which brother was the better fisherman.
Brian knew, he just knew he was the better, and he usually did catch more that either of us, but Matt’s ability to consistently catch the biggest one totally mystified him.
It started when Brian was 5 and Matt 10. We were fishing for the famously weak biting Walleyes on Lake Erie. The bright green “Erie Dearie” lures were the best and Brian was reeling them in
and Matt was struggling. I even switched Brian’s lure to the weakest color, but he still prevailed. That started it!
Through the years we have taken Largemouth Bass in farm ponds in Iowa, Stripers on Lake Cumberland, Northern Pike and Muskellunge in Canada, Tarpon and Snook in Costa Rica, and Peacock Bass on the Amazon River in Brazil. In the hundreds of fish we have caught, Brian prevailed only in catching the largest Tarpon (135 lbs). Matt led in all other categories.
The icing on the cake was a couple of years ago in Canada when Matt was catching a huge Muskellunge. Our sportsman friend in the boat was helping Matt land the fish and I heard him say “Matt: It’s too large for the net!” Brian just shook his head. Matt had done it again.
What times they were. What times they were. Father and sons together, loving it and drinking some beer as well!
Matt’s 7 year old son is pitch hitting for Brian on our trips now, and is showing signs of being like his uncle. He did catch a 25 pounder in Iowa last year (largest catch of the trip), but it was a turtle! His aim might be off a little, but he has time.
As Matt said recently; “we’ll be together again, just not now.”
Brian and Matt’s dad.
