In memoriam, Fishing with Aidy. Remembering a friend.
Aidy, The Englishman, he’s called, is a commercial fisherman from Northern England, and has been coming to Hernando County for the last 5 years. “Why?”, you may ask. “The climate?” “The beaches?” “No.” What this commercial fisherman came to do was, fish. (and I thought I was a fanatic!)
Tall, tattooed, top-knotted, and a killer goatee, Aidy had become a fixture at Hernando Beach Bait & Tackle for a few weeks out of every year. I hadn’t seen Aidy for a while, but when I went to a get-together at the Pasco-Hernando Fishing Forum at Trader Bay Seafood, there he was. We swapped some fish stories and such, and I asked him how he’d been. That’s when he told me of the doctors’ report, and a grim prognosis, but Aidy being Aidy, the talk quietly went back to fishing. I was surprised to hear, that although he’s fished with several flats guys I know, he’s never brought in more than a single fish on the trips he went on. My mission was clear; I had charters on Saturday and Monday, but I told him Sunday was all his.
We hit the water early, and though the cancer had caused the removal of his right bicep muscle, his comment was, “Shouldn’t be a problem; I hardly miss it at all.” My thought ran to, “Could I be that tough?”
So, at a little after seven, watching the sun rise across the Bay, we worked our way back to one of my favorite spots. With Aidy at one end of a three-foot wide creek, and me at the other, he proceeded to catch reds, trout, and sheepies, while I to my consternation, hooked an out-of-the-slot red. Aidy’s were short and mine was large and never before, had I so wished that the roles were reversed. From there, we paddled out to the front trout hole and met up with my good friend and fishing buddy, Lew Lowrey and proceeded to put Aidy on to more trout than he has ever caught before. So Aidy came out with his first limit of trout, and we went looking for reds. We worked all my favorite spots and though we kicked up a few, my mission to hook him into a big red, wasn’t working like I planned. Well, that’s why they call it “fishing.” We worked the area ‘til 4:00 and Aidy, God bless him, was still ready to keep going, but I had a charter the next day and had to get the gear ready, and my butt, (which by the way I don’t have one), was killing me after 9 hours on the water. So, I set up the next Saturday to go again, but due to commitments, Aidy couldn’t make it. When we talked that Sunday, Aidy, as usual, was full of confidence and I was happy to hear, that on our trip, he had had the most fun in the 5 years he’d been visiting. His goal was to try to make it back in January, and my goal was to get my chance to put him on that big red.
Aidy returned the next year, but due to deteriorating health issues, he had to go back to England early. He sent me an email, hoping to return soon, and as always, on a positive note, but it was not to be. Aidy lost his final battle after a good fight, never complaining, except for how it messed up his fishing. If there is a God in heaven, please, let Aidy nail that big red. RIP my friend.
Bruce Butler of Indian Bay Outfitters is Hernando County’s premier fishing guide with full and half-day charters available. Kayaks, tackle and gear provided. Just bring your lucky hat and a good attitude and be ready to see some pristine shoreline and great fishing.
Bruce@IndianBayOutfitters.com
Web: www.IndianBayOutfitters.com
Bruce Butler
“Stumbling Gypsy”
(352) 428-5347