Taurisano’s decision to retire comes as a surprise

I see a lot on social media posts that surprise me, but nothing as shocking as what I just saw on my Facebook feed. It was from the page of my good friend Chris Taurisano, the best fishing guide in Northern Illinois.

Taurisano wrote some thoughtful words about his career and his accomplishments. He thanked his legion of steady clients and talked about the famous musicians and sports stars that he has had the opportunity to work for. He talked about his family and that they had always supported his efforts.

Then he dropped the bomb. He announced that he was going to leave the fishing guide business and turn his T-Bone Guide Service over to longtime partner Matt Madlener.

I was totally blown away. Taurisano was retiring from the guiding business and he is still a spry 49. Think about it. Nobody retires from the fishing business. People keep at it until their bodies give out or they keel over. How does somebody retire from a job that most people do for recreation?

Being a fishing guide is no picnic. It’s damned hard work and I had the pleasure of watching Taurisano guide. There is nobody who works any harder than him. He was worth every dime his clients paid him.

A lot of people knew of Taurisano and his fishing exploits but didn’t know of all the other things that made him tick. Chris has a lovely wife, Gina, and they have a daughter named Frankie. Frankie went through a very long and traumatic bout with childhood cancer. She is now fine, but parents never get to rest assured of anything.

Raising a child is expensive, to be sure, but a child with medical issues is even rougher. Taurisano never whined or cried, he just kept guiding 12 months a year whenever the weather allowed, in order to support his family. By the way, Taurisano worked as an electrician in every available open hour he had to keep the cash coming in.

Family is incredibly important to Taurisano, and he always honors the memory of his beloved grandfather who was his life’s primary and most important fishing teacher.

He still found time for relaxation. Taurisano is a musician who sang and played guitar in a band whenever he could because he loved it. He worked out like a maniac and was always in top physical condition. He decided to take up the sport of muay thai. This is a form of kickboxing that is part of the mixed martial arts world. In his first bout his opponent knocked him out with a vicious kick to the head. In his most recent bout his hand was raised in victory and he was awarded a championship belt.

I am sad to think that Taurisano will no longer be a part of the Illinois professional fishing community. He is one of the best fishermen I have ever had the pleasure of being in a boat with. He is one of the hardest-working people I know.

Taurisano is a top-quality human being who has always done the best for his friends. I hope he remains a friend for a long, long time.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.