Angler's dying wish granted as his ashes are turned into 30lbs of fishbait
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:44 PM on 06th August 2008




Pete Hodge who had his dying wishes fulfilled by being turned into groundbait

Angler Pete Hodge has had his dying wish realised after his ashes were turned into bait for his fishermen friends to use.

Pete, 61, arranged for his remains to be mixed in with the special groundbait he used after discovering he had terminal motor neurone disease.

He wanted to end up swimming with his favourite fish in the river he spent more than 40 happy years angling on.

After Pete's death last month, he was cremated in a wicker fishing basket coffin before his remains were 'balled in' to 30lbs of fish food.

And his widow Caroline and daughter Sally were the first to catapult balls of the bait into the River Huntspill to signal the start of an angling competition.

Shoals of bream fish gobbled up the food and were hooked out of the water by Pete's pals.

Caroline, 56, from Puriton, near Bridgewater, said: 'Pete always said that when he died he wanted his ashes to be mixed in with groundbait.

'He wanted the fish to gobble him up so he could swim up and down the river after his death.

'When he got ill a couple of years ago, he put it in writing that that was what he wanted.

'Everything that he wished for was done right down to the last detail. It was only right for us to carry out his final wishes.'


Pete's wife Caroline launching the bait at her late husband's favourite peg along the River Huntspill

Pete, a gents' hairdresser, took up fishing at the age of 20 and went to his favourite peg on the River Huntspill several times a week.

He had to sell his business after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2006 but still carried on fishing.

After his death, nearly 1,000 mourners packed St Mary's Church in Bridgewater for his funeral.


Pete's family and friends who realised his dying wish

Caroline, his wife of 29 years, said: 'Me and Sally were with him to the end and he died peacefully in his sleep.'


Before he died Pete spoke of his desire to end up as fish food.

He said: "It may sound strange but it is my dream; to be back in the river catching fish is where I belong. I hope my friends make me proud with their catches."


Friend Justin Hooper, who runs a bait shop in Bridgewater, mixed Pete's ashes up with maize, hemp and soya on the eve of the competition.

Justin, 35, said: 'When Pete was struck down with the disease, he came to ask me if I would mix his ashes with his groundbait as his last wish was to go to the bottom of his favourite river.

'When I started the mixer up to make it I added his ashes and said "enjoy your last ride, mate.'"'



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Angler's spirit lives on at tuna tourney

Instigator dominates cumulative catch category at OC event
By Patrick Gavin
Staff Writer


OCEAN CITY -- The Ocean City Tuna Tournament's official rule book clearly states "no more than six anglers per boat."

But the crew of the Instigator believes they had a little extra outside help in this, the 20th annual tournament, which wrapped up Sunday evening.


The Instigator, captained by father-son duo David and Josh Wentling, unofficially took home at least $225,000 of the $688,620 tournament purse by dominating the cumulative catch category -- or five-fish stringer as it is known to anglers.

Fishing Friday and Saturday, the Instigator's crew each day wrangled the five-fish limit -- three blue fin tuna and two yellow fin tuna. The 10 total fish tipped the scales at 790 combined pounds, over 200 pounds more than their closest rival.

But despite that impressive margin, the Instigator still won by a hair, so to speak. In accordance with the dying wish of a former fishing comrade, Rick Geoghegan, Josh Wentling fastened strands of Geoghegan's hair to his hand-tied Sea Witch-type lures.

"Rick called me in early December, his voice was failing," David Wentling said. "He said 'Dave, I have one request and I have it in my will. I've let my hair grow long. ... I want to ride a few more trips with you.' And here we are in first place."

In March 2006, Geoghegan, a 59-year-old Vietnam veteran, was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"I've been dealt some bad cards," David Wentling recalled his fishing buddy of about six years telling him in March. "I've got six to nine months left."

In his final months, Geoghegan's body began to fail him, and he was confined to a motorized wheelchair, which he cheerily decorated with fishing lures and Vietnam and Coast Guard stickers. But when fishing season rolled around, Geoghegan still managed to fish every major tournament, including the Tuna Tournament, the White Marlin Open and several North Carolina and New Jersey events.

"We were a well-oiled machine, weren't we, getting him on and off (the boat)," said one member of the Instigator's tight-knit crew.

Geoghegan, a Chesapeake City, Md., resident, died in mid-December at his Palm Beach, Fla., vacation home. He passed away peacefully, eating a light supper, sipping his favorite drink, a Bombay Sapphire, and watching a family of dolphins which came uncharacteristically close to the lagoon shore that day, David Wentling said.

But days before his death, Geoghegan let David Wentling know he planned on cutting his signature pony tail so he could "ride the next tournament."

On Friday, the crew of the instigator quickly snagged three blue fin tuna then zipped over to a different spot and bagged two yellow fins, the five fish totaling 387 pounds. On Saturday, they repeated the impressive feat, this time hauling in 403 pounds of tuna.

"Not that I'm a very superstitious guy, but hey, Rick was with us," David Wentling said.

Other stories of the tournament
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs...707160338/1006