Years later, Darrell Baker remains one of the best fishermen I ever knew

One of the most memorable characters I ever met in the world of fishing was my old friend Darrell Baker. He was a true phenom. I watched him in awe, fishing for perch on Lake Michigan as he reeled in fish after fish, feeling the lightest of bites that my insensitive hands could not detect.

I recall fishing with him one time on a day after Thanksgiving. We had to chip ice and shovel snow from his boat to get on the Chain of Lakes. The wind was foul, the temperature freezing, a bad sky and a bad moon the night prior. I figured there was no way we could catch fish. Of course, Baker put us on some nice walleyes.

Some of our trips were memorable for reasons other than success. While fishing with Cubs manager Dusty Baker and coach Gene Clines, we spun a prop off his motor and had to be towed in while it began to snow.

I tried calling Darrell Baker in August 2011 and got no answer. His voice mailbox was full. I knew that we would speak the next day. Baker was a weekly guest on my radio show. We’d spend a segment talking about current conditions or talking about techniques.

Baker’s segment was very popular. We’d tape the segment every Wednesday afternoon. If I didn’t call Baker on Wednesday morning before noon, he invariably would call me to ask, “Are we on for today?” This day Baker didn’t call, his voicemail was full and he did not answer any of the texts I sent him. I was perplexed and concerned. He had never missed a show in all the time I’d known him.

I called the Lake County Sheriff's Office, which sent a cruiser to Baker's house to do a wellness check. Ninety minutes later, my phone rang. A deputy identified himself and began asking me questions about my relationship with Baker. He then told me that Baker was dead.

I had never been so shaken up in all of my life. They found Baker in his easy chair, slumped over with the television still on. He apparently died quickly and painlessly.

I realized I knew little about him personally. I assume his age was about 58, but he’d never tell me, just say, “I am as old as dirt.” I was aware that he had some estranged family.

I really didn’t know who his friends were. I made a list and only came up with a handful. I realized that most of Baker’s personal relationships were with his guide business clients.

He guided for more than 30 years. He had an exceptionally loyal client base. He spent time on the water with clients as much a teacher as a guide. He loved fishing with children and teaching them the ways of the sport. Danny Tischler, a longtime friend and client, once told me, “My kids love that man so much that they call him ‘Uncle Darrell.’”

I put together a memorial service and held it at Barnacle Bob’s on the Chain. Danny Tischler and I found Baker’s ex-wife. We had him cremated and spread his ashes at his favorite fishing spots on the Chain.

Darrell Baker was not an angel. He was merely a terrific fisherman and one of the best guides I have ever had the experience of sharing a boat ride with. After a day on the water with Darrell and me, Dusty Baker told me about the man he called “his brother”: “This guy isn’t just a fishing guide, he is one of the smartest people I have ever met.”

He was extremely modest. I never heard him use the word “I” — it was always “we.” He downplayed his fishing skills by saying he was “just a good boat driver.” I heard him say many times that “I didn’t write the book about fishing, but I am honored to say I may have contributed a paragraph or two.”

I think about Darrell Baker often and it usually sends my mood into a deep funk. He tried to help me in any way he could. I am proud to say that Darrell Baker was my friend and I still miss him terribly.

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