My dad lived to salmon fish, fly fish. He would tie his own flies all winter and when July would come he would head for the Pinware River in Labrador. There were summers when he took home the biggest fish for the summer.

He often said if he died on the river, he would die a happy death and his wish was granted in July of 1980, when he had a massive heart attack on the river and died seven days later. He was a great fisherman.

I also love fishing, especially cod jiggin’, but living out of Newfoundland for many years I never seemed to get home for the food fishery.

Last year I retired and when the food fishery opened we headed to Plate Cove. My husband and his brother and wife and another friend got up at 6 o’clock and headed for the grounds.

Two jiggers were lost in no time when they got caught in the bottom of the sea. Then I hooked into something too and thought, no not another jigger gone. I kept pulling the line and finally it started to move as I pulled I knew I had something big, even if it was a log. I glanced over the boat to see what was coming and what a surprise - what a fish. I had to get my brother-in-law to help me pull it in over the side of the boat. My dad would have been proud of his chip off the old block.
  Submitted By: Theresa Lynch