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Location: 31 | Fred Cairo of Heber Springs Arkansas (formally Aurora, Illinois) passed away at his home on Thursday May 6, 2010. He was one of the nicest, most decent people I have ever met.
For those that did not have the pleasure of meeting Fred.
He was a big part of the revival of the FRV Chapter of Muskies Inc. and was the person responsible for the early “FRV movement” to the northwest angle area of Lake of the Woods. He began his Canadian fishing career with a camping trip to Lake of the Woods in 1947, and his last trip to the angle was around 1992. Prior to that, he had settled in on a nice routine of 3-4 trips a year in the 1980s, always fishing with his friend and guide Danny Gibbons.
Even after 40 years of fishing, he still loved it enough to hire Danny for the entire month of July around 1987 after he retired from Northern Illinois Gas. I can remember other FRV board members speculating with me about how much that must have cost Fred, I am sure his cheery reply would have been “priceless” had we asked him.
Fred wore a white pith helmet and liked to use his own large bladed homemade bucktails for casting, rarely lifting a fish from the water for pictures. His daily fishing routine always included a few casts at his favorite spot we called “Fred’s Rock” in Quandary Bay. His last muskie trip was with me to the Ottawa River around 1996, but he still enjoyed a variety of fishing on his home lake of Greer's Ferry. Fishing was definitely his lifelong passion!
I can still hear him saying; “We're all just passing through Jerry my boy, enjoy it while you can” and "go first class, it only costs a little more". Fred Cairo was most definitely first-class... rest in peace my friend!
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Posts: 906
Location: Warroad, Mn | Sorry to hear of Fred's passing. I can still see him and Danny casting away. Fred with his pith hat on. We have a spot we call "Cairo's", and it's produced many a fine fish. One of the good guys! Doug Johnson |
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| I'm sorry to hear the news about Fred I just looked through my baits and found a home made spinner bait he gave me when I was a kid in the 80's he called it the master baiter. I didn't get that when he gave it to me. I will throw it on Fred's rock this summer for him maybe I'll stick a pig the biggest fish I've ever seen on Lotw was on that rock. Thanks to Fred for teaching that spot to my father! |
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| Spent some time with Fred myself the first time I ever fished Lake of the Woods in Jeff Gerkes boat. Absolutely one of the best. Still tell people stories about him even now. Please pass my sympathy along to his family.
Heres a little story and a lesson I still tell people about. Fred shows me a spot where there is a tree fallen in the water. He tells me there is usually a Muskie under the tree and tells me to cast a bucktail near it. After I made each of about 5 casts he tells me I didnt quite hit the spot and to do it over. I'm thinking there aint no muskie under the stupid tree. Finally he says let me show you and casts one right under the tree. Sure enough he gets the muskie. I paid a little more attention to him after that.
One more. After fishing for a number of day we ventured into the "pac". I notice in the days of fishing that Fred would never get a backlash while I would get my usual amount every day. Well. we are fishing and Fred says a big muskie just surfaced and points to where it was. He then goes to cast over there and gets the biggest backlash I ever see. I'm thinking that musta been a pretty big muskie for that to get Fred excited so I throw my "chugger" over and pow, the muskie bites. Of course I lost it but Fred and I had a good laugh over it.
Thanks for the memories Fred. |
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Posts: 62
| Sorry to hear the news about Fred. Like a couple of the posts above, I also had the pleasure of a couple of trips to the Woods with fellow FRV members and fishing alongside Fred. I can still taste the shore lunch on the island one summer afternoon. Oh, and be sure to throw a brown bucktail over the reefs.
I think Doug said it best . . . Fred was one of the good guys.
Phil
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