Published: August 28, 2008 05:20 pm         

Nordstrom: Remembering ‘The Old Pro’

Alven Prough was like a second father to this outdoorsman.

I’m writing this week’s column with a heavy heart. One of my best fishing buddies passed away this week. His name was Alven Prough and the folks around the little town of Walton, Ind., where he lived for over 50 years, all knew him as “The Old Pro.”

Alven grew up during the Great Depression, fought in World War II and worked all his life clearing land and operating heavy equipment. In his later years he always put out a big garden and shared its bounty with his neighbors, and he was always ready to help his family, friends and neighbors with any chore.

Alven was my father-in-law for 40 years and when my own father passed away when I was only in my 20s, he took me under his wing and always treated me like his own son.

Alven grew up in Markle, Ind., and started fishing for catfish and turtles in the Wabash River when he was just a boy. Soon after I moved to the Eel River at Adamsboro he came up and taught me how to catch and clean snapping turtles and carp. We fished for catfish together on the Wabash and rock bass in Pipe Creek when I was in my 20s, but due to our busy working lives we didn’t get to fish together much again until after we both retired.

When Alven was well into his 80s I was able to take him to my property on the Flambeau River in Northern Wisconsin. He immediately fell in love with the north woods and was able to make three trips up to my fishing camp there. Many times he would spend the whole day on the river bank catching bass, catfish, pike and panfish. We often had to take his meals down to the river because he refused to take a break and come up to the cabin and eat.

Alven’s favorite fishing story was about the northern pike he caught in Michigan that pulled the rowboat, with both him and his father in it, halfway across the lake before they were able to wear it down and land it. I’ll always treasure the family pictures of Alven and his father and brothers holding heavy stringers of bass and pike.

On one of his trips to Wisconsin we took him to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisc. He loved to look at the antique fishing tackle there and reminisce about using the same gear when he was young.

We even took time to take him to the lumberjack show in Hayward and when I had told them he had cut trees for over 70 years, they introduced him as a master sawyer and included him in the show. They had me come on stage with him and we competed in the two-man crosscut saw race. Of course we didn’t win, but we did cut off a clean slice of wood and never “bucked” the saw. After the show all the lumberjacks autographed that slice of wood for him, and he treasured it the rest of his life.

In his later years when his eyesight dimmed and his hands shook, Alven needed a little help “baiting up,” but he always insisted on casting by himself. This made for some pretty exciting moments when he was out on my bass boat. Many times my partner Harry Fricke and I had to duck and cover when his hook came whizzing past our heads, but the look on his face when he landed a fish made it all worthwhile.

If you have a father or grandfather who enjoys fishing, try to make time to plan a trip with him. I promise you that the memories of your time spent together will last much longer than the memories of fish you catch.

It’s hard to see my old fishing buddy leave this world, but I know that if there are fish in Heaven “The Old Pro” is sitting on a river bank with a fishing pole in his hands and a can of worms at his feet.

Ray Nordstrom is a Logansport resident, a licensed guide, tournament angler, and is the owner of Eel River Bait and Tackle in Logansport. You can contact him through the sports department at (574) 732-5774 or via e-mail at sports@pharostribune.com.