Here as you can see, is a copy of two old pictures of one of my real life hero's out there doing his thing. The top pic shows Bob on the left, fast at work photographing a thrashing Salmon, with Pete Sticklee on the net and an agile John Kerr playing the fish. On the far right is none other than the well known Burt Meyers, of Ontario Out Of Doors Magazine fame, doing what he likes to do, mingling with his boys! :-) I, luckily enough, was there too and took this picture and others of the whole crew on Sticks' big boat, with my little Pentax SP500 (back then) and gave most of 'em to the boys. Wish I'd have kept a few of the nice ones of Bob with his fish, now though.
The next shot was taken shortly after Bobby moved to British Columbia. Yup, fighting another beauty, and all decked out in west coast Fly-Man's Garb! Lookin' Good Bobby!
I originally got to know this amazing man after meeting him while I was working at Laurentian Trading Post, at the fishing counter. We then fished many times together, and covered lots of different water and fishing techniques, in his old "Tin Goose", Bobs' beloved Sportspal canoe. :-) I respected this man as much if not more than I did my own dad. Bob always felt like an older, bigger, cooler, brother to me.
I ran into another old and mutual friend of ours, Grant Hopkins, the other day, while exploring part of the Canal system. Grant had found out over a year ago that Bob had left here for the big fishing hole in the sky. :-( Man, talk about a heavy and very SAD feeling overcoming me. Sheesh, can't even describe the powerful loss I felt there, as Grant shared a few of the details that he knew, with me.
You see folks, sadly, I have to report that my old friend Bob Jones, is now one of the "Dearly Departed" on my list of great people I have known in my life. I wrote a little more about Bob on my other blogs too. I feel the need to get this out there, because this man was way, way more, than just a fisherman or a writer or a photographer.
He had a very special way of impacting people that he met, especially if they showed him a fondness for fishing or rods and rivers and such. He was also a really, really, good teacher too. As a matter of fact, at one point in our lives, Bob was indeed, my real life Fishing Sensei, especially when it had to do with Jig tying and Fly Fishing. He patiently answered so many of my questions and I absorbed as much as I could from him. But, there was always more, with Bob. Tireless he was!
This link will take you right to one of Bobs' very own articles over on the Outdoor Writers Of America website, where he was a very well liked and respected member. Sort of fittingly perhaps, on my little blog here then, Bob shares this fine piece about how he and an old friend of his, met, shared great friendship and then, parted. Remembering...
Thank You, my readers, for letting me share this tiny piece of my sorely missed old fishing companion, with you to-day. Maybe you even have your own old fishing friend that You can remember to-day too? If they were at all to you, like Bob Jones was to me, then they most certainly deserve a few moments for a little thoughtful reflection, on your part. :-)
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