A Father’s Day to Remember
By Lance C. Valentine
Father’s
Day has always been a special with my family. I have been blessed with a
wonderful father, grandfathers and father-in-law. Unfortunately I have
lost a grandfather and my father-in-law passed away last summer, but the
positive influence they had on my life is with my everyday.
When I first got a copy of the 2002 schedule I noticed that Father’s Day fell during the PWT Tournament on Lake Winnebago. It was going to be hard not being home this year as the day before Father’s Day was my dad’s 60th birthday and 39th anniversary. How was I going to stay focused on the tournament and still be thinking of mom, dad and grandpa on this special weekend? Luckily, the answer came in late spring-why not have my dad, Lanny, go to Winnebago with me? He could pre-fish with me, share the drive, fish as an amateur and see first hand what really goes on as a PWT pro. We made the arrangements as he sent in his entry form and we started counting the days until our trip.
My dad has always been a fisherman, but mostly an addict of stream trout with a fly rod. He has learned walleye fishing over the years, and become a very good fishing partner. The problem is that with his business, my busy tournament schedule and day-to-day hassles, we don’t get a chance to fish together as much as we would like so this would be a great time for us both.
Some of my earliest memories are of fishing with my dad. I can remember as a 6 year old, he would carry me across the Au Sable River on his shoulders and then stand with me in shallow water as I learned to cast a fly. The rise and strike of 6-9” brook trout still make me smile. My first step on the fishing journey that has landed me on the PWT began on a spring evening with my dad in our canoe on a local lake. We were fishing for bluegill near dusk when he tied on a Johnson Silver Minnow tipped with a piece of yellow pork rind. Casting what seemed to be a mile, he hooked a largemouth bass that at the time seemed to me to be 10lbs. The fish easily out matched the 6lb line and light action spinning gear my dad was using, but that fish started my curiosity of the big fish that swam in lakes as opposed to the 9-12” trout we were catching in the river. Little did we know that this one fish would change my life forever!
When my brother and I began walleye tournament fishing in 1996, my mom and dad offered nothing but support and encouragement-even though we weren’t very good! They came to every weigh-in, a tradition that continues to this day, and always let us know they were proud of our efforts. Working for my dad in those years, he always made sure that time off was available for every tournament and I always had a few extra dollars for unforeseen troubles. As I got closer to my dream of being a full-time tournament fisherman, seminar speaker and writer, he made sure to let me know he was happy for me, and the business would get along fine if I had to leave to pursue my dreams.
My dad and I have talked quite a bit about being a successful pro both on and off the water and the guidance and advice he has offered have been a huge help in my career. Fishing as an amateur and traveling with our gang, he got to see the pressures, headaches, troubles and challenges we face each tournament. He now has a better understanding of what goes on, and our return trip from Winnebago was filled with conversations on what I was doing right and wrong.
He thoroughly enjoyed his time on the water with Ernie Olson, Jim Carroll and Kevin Dahlhauser, and I was happy to hear him comment on what a great bunch of people the PWT pros and staff were. He is already talking with his old high-school buddy about the two of them fishing Saginaw Bay as amateurs, and he definitely wants to help me pre-fish at the Bay. I think he may be as addicted to this game as I am!
The Winnebago tournament was a great success for me personally. I cashed my first pro check-$1100.00 for 38th place and got to spend 10 great days with my dad! Very rarely does a son get to receive the best Father’s Day present, but this year I did. Thanks Dad!