A true trophy: Catching a Lake Superior ‘laker’ for dad

Continuing a story from last week … I was on vacation, spending a day fishing on Lake Superior in a 19-foot boat with relatives. Our craft was probably a little bit undersized for a Great Lakes adventure.

We watched the skies to the east of us as a storm seemed to be materializing quickly. We decided we’d only fish for a short time before heading in to miss the storm. The forecast called for storms later that would hit east of us and further inland. Darned weather forecasters, lying to me again!

I wanted so badly to catch a fish with the antique fishing tackle passed down to Vince Luoma by his deceased father. I didn’t think the antiquated gear would be able to bring in a king salmon, but I held high hopes for a strike. I swear I could feel the spirit of the late Ron Luoma beside us in the boat as we worked our rods, praying for a hit. The storm drew nearer and we made the decision to call it a day. Our hopes for a fish on the antique fishing tackle were not to be realized.

I was really disappointed for Vince. I knew what it would mean to catch a fish on his father’s old tackle. He had been wanting to do this trip for a long time. Every time he talked about it, a wistful look washed over his face as he remembered days and evenings out on Lake Superior with his dad. I said to myself, “Come on, Ron! Let your kid catch a laker.”

I’ll take no credit for urging the laker to hit Vince’s line but one certainly did. He called, “Fish on! I’ve got one.” No one else paid much attention as we were becoming quickly concerned about the impending weather and were bringing in the other two lines.

Vinnie said, “I’m not kidding! I have a fish on. Will somebody handle the net, please?” I took over the steering wheel from Stu and he grabbed the net.

It seemed like it took forever for Vince to reel the laker to the boat. Reeling in that much copper line is no easy task. Stu masterfully netted the laker and we got a pic or two before putting the fish in the cooler for our dinner that evening.

The laker wasn’t trophy-sized by any means. It was probably a six-pound fish, to be honest. Size really made no difference to anyone in our boat. The fact that Vince Luoma was able to catch a fish on his father’s tackle, using the skills taught to him by his dad, made this fish a true trophy, to be sure.

I’ve caught a lot of fish in my lifetime. I’ve been on the boat while other fishermen have caught some incredible fish in my life. There is no fish that will ever be more memorable for me that the one Vinnie caught with us on Lake Superior that day. Thanks for the help, Ron!

We headed for shore. We figured we’d get into shallower water and then head east the seven or so miles back to our launch. The sky kept getting darker and darker. We saw the skies were unloading copious amounts of rain. In front of us.

I suggested we stay out on the water and fish because the storm was east of us and heading eastward. We were under clear skies, but I was voted down. The other guys wisely felt it was impossible to tell if another storm might form to the west of us with no warning, just like the present one had done.

We headed directly east into one of the most violent rainstorms I have ever experienced.

I obviously didn’t drown, so I’ll finish my tale next week.