Never too late to acquire a new bag of tricks

We sat across from each other at an old kitchen table, deep in the northern Manitoba bush, discussing the meaning of life.

I listened carefully to the words coming from 71-year-old McHenry angler Jerry Baab.

After all, Baab has been fishing for quite a number of years, and this gathering was our first northern Canadian adventure together.

Baab retired from a managerial position with Ameritech, and when he's not traveling around the country in his motor home, he can usually be found on a lake or river, practicing the lessons he learned from a mutual friend.

"I know you and Spence Petros are longtime friends," Baab said during that conversation. "I also feel as if I've known him for years too."

Baab shared with me that he will once again be in Petros' classes this March and April.

"This will be the eighth time I'll be sitting in the group, soaking up every bit of information Spence puts out there," Baab said.

Baab is a complete opposite of me. He's very precise in his actions and speech, while I on the other hand charge off into the wild blue when on a fishing trip.

And in person, Baab's crisp attire put him in the league of male models often seen in the pages of the Orvis catalog.

"One of the most important lessons I learned from being in Spence's classes was how to approach new bodies of water during different seasonal periods, as well as different times of the day," Baab explained. "That alone raised my confidence level."

When the soft-water seasons roll around, Baab can often be found in Darrell Baker's guide boat on the Fox Chain looking for walleye and muskie.

"I am always ready to learn something new and even re-define the fishing knowledge I've already accumulated," he continued. "And that's why every year I attend both classes, the walleye, pike and muskie sessions along with the separate bass and panfish classes. Even though this is year No. 8 for me, I can never seem to get enough."

The Spence Petros Fishing Classes are relatively inexpensive. You get five weeks of instruction for each separate category, at $75 for each class. That's the total amount.

Anglers can register online at www.spencepetros.com, or call (815) 455-7770. Both sessions will be held at the Post 90 American Legion building at 122 Palatine Road in Palatine.

The bass and panfish class runs March 4 through April 1, while the walleye, pike and muskie class runs March 5 through April 2.

Baab wasn't through with his praise for the angling guru.

"The payoff for attending these gatherings is tremendous, almost like having a hot stock and watching it deliver great dividends," he said. "And to have someone of his caliber in this area to tap into is invaluable. This is not stuff from a typical Saturday morning television show. In fact this is the real meat and 90 percent hardcore instruction.

"He changes the classes with new, marked maps of various lakes and throws in a lot of stuff other instructors never bother to pass along to people because the other instructors' ego always appears to be more important than the real, how-to information."

I'd call that quite a testimonial. And I came to the conclusion that it is possible to teach an old dog new and improved tricks.