We lost a great fisherman tonight—Aaron Marten has passed away

[willyfish]

To me Aaron was one of the all time greats. He could do it all and was a real master with light line. I always enjoyed watching him on tv and he was a real student of the game. When he figured out the deal where the bass were eating the birds pattern I thought, wow this guy thinks outside the box. He was special 

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, budman said:

But each person get to decide what they choose to believe

I mean no disrespect to anyone, but how do you CHOOSE to believe something ? 

There are a lot of things that I'd love to believe in (and the existence of a fair, and loving creator/controller is certainly one of them) but I can't just flick a switch and turn that on.   

There are books about Bigfoot too.   I had no intentions of carrying this conversation on, but Phil called me "tacky" and put me on the spot.....and now here we are.    

I had no personal relationship with A-mart, but I have close friends that did.  From what I understand he and his family have been put through literal hell..... forgive ME for not seeing and recognizing comfort in your belief that "Awe how precious, it has all been God's plan.  And now Jesus is hugging him".   

Piss on that.  I know some folks that would rather be hugged by Aaron.   It's very possible to express sadness and well wishes without adding tidbits of fairy tales and beliefs, not shared by all, into the conversation.

 

Now, I'll be done as soon as y'all are done chastising me for being ME.   Just choose to believe THAT and I'll say no more about it.  

 

[Quillback]

5 hours ago, dwiebenga said:

Gentlemen, my goal of this post tonight was to honor the passing of a modern legend in the sport of bass fishing and a great family man.  All I ask is to please keep it to talking about his legacy.  I am a man of faith, however, my intention was not to enter into a discussion on the topic of spirituality.  My goal was to discuss Aaron and bring his passing to the attention of all of my friends and fellow fishermen. If my comments touched off a touchy topic, I am humbly sorry and will request the post to be removed if necessary.  

I never had the honor of meeting Aaron.  Anyone on the forum have a “personal” Aaron Marten story?

Never met him, but certainly enjoyed watching him fish, he was, in his way, different than the other pros.  Sorry to hear of his passing.

[Phil Lilley]

Not sure of the year, maybe 7-8 years ago, Aaron and other pros spoke at the First Baptist Church here in town. It was a banquet. Aaron shared some fishing tips along with his testimony. 

I invited a bunch of guys staying with us, here for a fishing tournament. It was in January. After the talk, most of my guys went forward and prayed with Aaron to receive Christ as Savior. 

Over the years, I’ve seen where Aaron has spoken at many events, sharing his faith. 

[m&m]

Aaron Martens was a really good fisherman and a better family man. He will be missed. 
RIP

Mike

[moguy1973]

When I first started watching the MLF cup series I thought Amart was a major d-head.  Thought he was self centered and thought everything that went wrong was everyone else's fault and a major complainer.  That's was all just an act for the camera though.  When you got past that he was a great person.  I saw him at the classic down in Tulsa a few years back and he was more than willing to go out of his way to chit chat with people and to sign autographs.  

It all ends too soon, give the ones you love a hug.  They won't be there forever.

[dwiebenga]

My only connection is watching him on TV.  It was amazing to watch him get into the zone and smash smallmouth on the Northern lakes.  If I remember correctly, held the heaviest weight for a day until Table Rock a couple years ago.  Is my memory accurate?

[Champ188]

On 11/4/2021 at 10:32 PM, Phil Lilley said:

One of my best friends in this world, Vince, died of brain cancer at the age of 53.  He was sick for 15 months.  It was tough for us, especially his family, to see him waste away, but the whole time, he, his wife, his 3 kids or myself (and many friends) never gave up hope in his healing, either by medicine or a miracle.

Through the process, there was pain, hurting and questions, but we never lost our trust in God to glorify Himself through Vince's life, even his sickness and death.  There were so many glorious moments up till the end.  And after, we all bask in Vince's memory, how he laughed and loved.  We laughed, loved, hugged and supported each other, and continue to do so.  And we thanked God He gave us Vince for 53 years.

This isn't a story about cancer and tragedy.  This is a story about life. 

Just had our 38-year-old police officer neighbor die of Covid-induced pneumonia. Was on a vent for nearly 40 days. Left behind a fiancee, two kids, and a host of friends and relatives.

The words above are priceless and spot-on. Thanks, Phil.