Outdoors in the Central Valley: 95-year-old shows fishing can be a lifetime activity

I have a new hero, Frank Klassen, a 95-year-old angler from Kingsburg, who has given me a new vision of what’s possible.

Frank called me about two months ago wanting to set up a guide trip for himself and Susan and Bob Wiebe, his daughter and son-in-law from Reedley. Turns out Frank is an accomplished fisherman — but the kicker was his age.

The oldest fisherman I ever took out before Frank, was in his late 80s. Frank sounded like he was very capable but we were going out on a full-day trip of eight hours; much-younger anglers sometimes find it challenging. Safety is the key concern when fishing with seniors, however, Frank didn’t seem to need much more than being able to get let off near the dock and walk to the boat with his cane and daughter’s support.

The morning of the trip they met me by the dock. Frank came right out and got on the boat with our help. He seemed very strong. Plus, it promised to be a beautiful 75-degree day. I was encouraged.

We caught and released about a dozen nice stripers for the day. The fishing was not easy but Frank and the Wiebes were all patient and ready for the next bite. We practiced getting Frank into the best and most stable spot in the boat to reel in his fish, which he did later with a nice 22-incher. We fished from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Frank hung in the whole time without a complaint. I called him the next day to see how he was doing.

“Tired?” I asked.

“Not really,” he said. I was amazed.

That trip caused me to reflect. Here’s just a couple life lessons that hit me.

First, There’s a lot of talk about life span, but “a living span” is what stood out about Frank. It’s not about how many years you live- it’s about how many years “you spend living!” He maximized every opportunity to live his passion as much as his health will allow him. His attitude was always facing forward to the next fishing trip and planning his future. I never heard him complain; he was out to live the moment he was given.

There was none of the attitude of “Yeah, I used to fish but I gave that up — too much work and I’m too old” that I’ve seen some folks tell me when there’s really no good reason for them to stop fishing. Sort of like, “Guess it’s time to stop fishing because I saw others do that.” Who told them that, anyway?

I could see that having a lifelong passion that fuels us -is key to keep us vibrant and healthy. Frank was already planning his next Canadian fishing trip, hoping to get a new personal best-sized lake trout. Why not? Better than watching reruns!

Frank has supercharged my life goals, showing me that it’s possible to have an exciting, passionate outdoor/fishing life way beyond what I had considered achievable. Just like the four-minute mile, once we see someone break the barrier, many follow. Why not have a fishing life that spans a century. That energizes me.

I’ve seen the future, and it excites me that we don’t need to give up our best life — if we develop a healthy long-term vision and a positive attitude that keeps us growing and moving forward.

Never give up.

Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars.

This story was originally published November 21, 2023 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Outdoors in the Central Valley: 95-year-old shows fishing can be a lifetime activity."