Walls' wish

HAYDEN LAKE — Ann Walls was supposed to spend two hours fishing on Hayden Lake Tuesday morning.

But the 86-year-old was having so much fun reeling in so many kokanee she not only stayed on the water all morning, she brushed off the media like a rock star.

“I’m fishing,” she said by phone from her fishing charter well out of sight from Honeysuckle Beach. “I don’t have time for an interview.”

Walls’ chilly but sunny day on Hayden Lake was courtesy of Auburn Crest Hospice. An avid angler in her younger days, Walls’ wish was for one more chance to hook a fighting fish.

She did that, several times over, as they caught 10 kokanee in just over four hours, and even tossed some back that were too small.

“God, it was great,” she said Tuesday afternoon, adding she was looking forward to a feast of smoked fish later this week.

Led by fishing guide Dave Aggers, and joined by Auburn Crest’s Dave Alverson and Ann’s daughter, Paige, the group set out about 7 a.m. in 36 degrees and on calm waters.

Asked if she was excited, Walls said, “Fish, fish, fish.”

Coffee in hand, Walls was game as she switched from wheelchair to boat.

“We are all crazy,” she said.

They settled into some hot spots on the lake, and it didn’t take long before the fish were biting.

Marya Oakes, CNA with Auburn Crest Hospice, has spent time with Walls in the past months. She described her as tough, determined and humorous, someone who loves to get her hands in the dirt rather than sitting safely inside.

“She really just enjoys working with the land, being outside,” Oakes said.

Walls doesn’t let the aches and pains that come with aging dull her drive to enjoy life. In fact, Walls reluctantly relented to return to shore Tuesday because her oxygen tank was running low.

Her fishing fancy was everything she hoped.

“This is the way it’s going to go, the way God intended it,” she told Oakes.