FISHING
You ’ re Never To Old To Party ... Right Ed ?
By Raf Viniard
Ed Von Heeder of Plains , MT never saw it coming . His son Derek Von Heeder also of Plains did a little horse swapping so his Dad and him could fish the famous Columbia River for Sturgeon with Captain Jeremy Wisdom of Wisdom Guide Service out of Othello , WA .
With Father ’ s Day being next month this is a hint for all you sons or daughters . Most Dads love to fish ... just saying !
Ed turned 74 last month and his son took him on a fishing trip he will never forget . Ed stated to Derek , “ I am 74 years old and have never had a fishing trip like this . I had a tremendous day . That was the best “ Birthday Party ” I have had in my life .”
Right to Left : Ed Von Heeder and his son Derek with a couple of keepers .
Derek said , “ We started fishing at 6:30 AM and had caught nine sturgeon by 10:30 AM . Of the nine we were allowed to legally keep two of the nine . They had to be between 43- 54 inches to keep . Dad caught a 48 1 / 4 ” sturgeon beating my 47 incher .”
Talking with Derek he sounded like he was still on a Birthday Party high as the excitement in his voice continued to grow as he told the story about the big ones they landed . They caught a total of 11 sturgeon .
Usually the story goes on about how the big one got away ... not this story , it has a great ending . Derek fought a 9 foot long sturgeon for two hours and 18 minutes and 3.3 miles down the river before picture time . Derek went on to say , “ My arms were like “ killing me !”. We had to take him out to deeper water to tire him out before we could get him close enough to shore to take a picture . You can ’ t take them out of the water if they have to be released . He jumped out of the water fighting me five times . I had a wonderful day with Dad fishing .” Derek didn ’ t get to have all the fun as Dad had his own fight . Dad finally landed his 6 footer as well .
Left to Right : Derek , Capt . Jeremy and Dad standing on bow of boat with a thumbs up !
Captain Jeremy had a chart that they used to determine age and weight after the initial measurements . Derek ’ s sturgeon was estimated to be 66 years old and weighing in a 366 pounds . The four hour drive and mule trading of some Stump Grillers was a win-win for all involved .
Dereks ’ final statement was , “ It was unreal !!! If you ever get a chance to do it !!! Just Do It ! Montana Woods N Water sends a belated Happy Birthday out to Mr . Ed Von Heeder !
10
Jumper !