It's Never Too Late to Fish

It was a special Father’s Day for the Barnbrook family.

It’s been a couple of years since Jim and Timm had their dad in the boat. Back problems kept him landlocked.

That’ll happen when you’re 90 years old.

But a few weeks ago when Michigan offered a free fishing weekend, Don Barnbrook was feeling a lot better. Jim, age 66, and Timm, age 64, put dad in their boat at Donnell Lake near Vandalia and treated him to a day of pike fishing.

It went so well, they bought him a fishing license on Father’s Day and took him back to Donnell where they have a cottage.

“We didn’t catch much that day but it’s OK,” said Jim. “We had a good day on the water.”

If Don’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was one of South Bend’s all-time sports greats back in the day.

He coached Riley’s High School golf team to two state championships in the early 60s and was inducted into the Indiana High School Golf Hall of Fame.
At age 88, he got a hole-in-one, an event that was chronicled by Trib’ columnist Bill Moor.

Don, best known as “Barney,” was the head basketball coach at Adams High School from 1965-1969. He also played basketball at Adams in 1944.

“When we were younger and dad was a teacher and coach, we didn’t have much money for vacations, but he found time to teach us how to fish on area lakes,” said Jim. “So now it’s our turn to take him.”

In the early days, the Barnbrooks fished for bass and bluegill. Now their focus is on pike.

“Honestly, dad doesn’t care what we catch,” says Jim. “As long as he’s fishing with his boys, he’s good with it.”

That’s the beauty of fishing. Your body may past its prime for ball sports, but it’s never too late to pick up a fishing rod and enjoy a day on the water.
And when you’re doing it with family, it’s timeless.