Getting Old Doesn't Mean You're Ready for the Scrapheap of Time

As I recently read in a Wired2Fish article, there are some people, like former Marine and do-it-yourselfer Neal Baker, who find ways to keep bass fishing nearly to their dying day. Despite some physical challenges, this old-timer still was getting on the water regularly at the age of 83.

Neal Baker was a man who loved his family, loved to fish, and loved to do things himself...at times because it was cheaper, at times out of a bit of pride, but always because it just meant more to him to do it that way. As characterized in Shaye Baker's Wired2Fish article, "He was DIY before DIY was cool."

Neal Baker was like another granddad to Shaye, the best friend of his father for four decades, as well as his dad's tournament partner until the writer came of age.

Upon Neal's death, his wife and family gave a very grateful Shaye the former's modified Triton bass boat. The latter hadn't owned a boat of his own for about two years.

"I like to think Neal knows somehow that his Triton still is out on the water, being used to catch fish, and that all his hard work and DIY projects are still paying dividends," said Shaye, who decided to show off some of Neal's handiwork and perhaps help other guys come up with a few DIY-project ideas of their own.

"Neal fished on his own up until a couple months before he passed," explained Shaye. "He was a Marine and a hard worker, both of which took a heavy toll on his knees over the years, resulting in double-knee replacement. A few years ago, he started having a hard time getting up and down out of the driver's seat but was bound and determined to continue to fish and fish alone when he wanted to.

"His solution? Neal mounted a metal pole to the side of his console, attaching it to the floor with a metal plate. He then could reach up from his seat, grab the pole, and pull himself to a standing position. That worked well enough until last year, at which point Neal had to create a handrail to help him make his way to the front deck. He connected the metal pull-up bar to the pedestal seat in the front of the boat."

Another DIY project of Neal's that jumps out at you right away is the padding on the front deck of his boat. It was a bit unconventional in that he used interlocking foam floor mats. Most boats now come with padding under the carpet on the front deck; Neal's boat predates that design advancement.

As Shaye explained, "My dad was talking to Neal one day about ways to take some of the pressure off his knees when he fished. Dad suggested that he try adding a couple sections of the matting from my nieces' playroom.

"We had used the same trick on the front of my little Bass Tender 11.3 molded-plastic boat, so Neal decided to give it a try and said it made a lot of difference. This would be an especially good idea for any metal-boat fisherman. The foam is much cooler in the sun and doesn't get nearly as slick when wet as metal surfaces do. And the cushion really does help with fatigue, not to mention the added benefit of deadening the sound of a pair of pliers dropping on the metal boat's deck."

The next thing that stands out about Neal's boat is the recessed foot pedal on the trolling motor. Most boats today come with cavities already on the front deck, but Neal bought his boat before that era. 

Using the raised mount that came with the boat caused additional pain in his bad knees, so he went online and ordered a recessed foot-pedal tray, cut a hole in the deck of his boat, and mounted the tray with some screws. Shaye offered a piece of advice in this matter, however.

"If you're going to try this," he said, "make sure the tray you order will fit your particular trolling-motor pedal. The trays aren't all necessarily created equal, but you should be able to find a list of compatible trolling-motor models for each tray."

Another nifty little DIY project on Neal's boat was the motor-toter that he made, using PVC pipe and fittings.

In Shaye's words, "It was a pretty dang nice and extremely effective project. However, as with most things Neal did, there was and is no blueprint for one like it. Therefore, if you want to try it yourself, I suggest that you take a few measurements and cut yours to fit. If you're a DIY-er worth your salt, you'll be able to figure out the specifics for this one pretty easily."

Shaye went on to note that, with Neal's bad knees, it got harder and harder over the years for him to get into and out of his boat while it was still on the trailer. Whether he was wanting to climb up into the boat when it was in his shop, or trying to step into or out of it when launching or loading at the ramp, he needed help to do it, and Neal rarely was one to ask for help.

His solution for this dilemma was to order a set of steps and a hand rail to mount to his trailer. Several boat manufacturers offer these as an option nowadays on new boats. It's a safer and less strenuous way to embark or disembark a boat, regardless of whether you have bad knees or not. Best part of all is that there are several options available out there, depending on your individual trailer design.

Last but not least among Neal's DIY projects on his Triton boat was the addition of a GoPro camera.

As Shaye explained, "Neal not only fought the good fight physically but mentally, as well. He was constantly trying to keep up with the electronics game, even though his favorite technique was flipping shallow cover no more than 10 feet from the bank.

"Members of our local bass club often would pick at him about this, wagering with one another as to whether Neal even had enough line on his reel to reach the bottom in 20 feet of water. But Neal often got the last laugh, as he'd hoist the winning bag onto the scales at weigh-in...and I'm pretty certain that the line on his reels past the first 30 feet never saw the light of day.

"It was because I used GoPros a lot early in my career in the fishing industry, and Neal knew it," continued Shaye, "that he one day mentioned he'd like to film his trips. So I told him what to get, and the next time I saw him, he had hard-wired a cable directly to his cranking battery and converted an old pedestal seat to a camera mount on the back of his boat.

"Now, six or seven years later, we see almost every pro and Joe out there on the water running something similar, albeit most of theirs are 'store bought', a feature Neal never was a fan of if he could do it himself."

In conclusion, Shaye admitted that he doesn't have the capacity to do all the projects Neal was capable of.

"After all," he said, "this man would swap out his lower unit with a spare between fishing trips to 'fine tune' the old one a bit. He really could do it all.

"But I'll continue his DIY legacy to the best of my ability with my new-to-me boat. I look forward to spending days on the water, as close to him as anyone still can get, inhaling that familiar smell he loved of burned gas and oil, as his old Mercury fires up each time, while sitting in that seasoned seat in which he spent countless hours.

"Neal was a man who loved to flip and pitch from the front deck of that old Triton, enjoying God's creation the way he did for decades. And hopefully, I'll leave a legacy of a life well-lived for someone else to learn from, the same as he did for me.

"Thanks, Neal, for it all."

Unlike the central figure in this story, I unfortunately don't possess the DIY abilities he demonstrated. Thanks to a host of friends, though, who watch out for me and are always there to lend a helping hand, whatever it may be, I never want for anything more when it comes to my fishing. With them, a little luck, and the Lord's blessings, I, too, may be able to fish to my dying day. If so, it will be an answered prayer.