My friend zooker

[flbassman]

I know there's a few of these threads already, but this just feels right.

I haven't been around much lately and didn't realize zook was so bad off, or I would have called him or at least pm'ed. Logged in tonight to see a zooker thread 5 pages long and my gut dropped. Saw the post about him leaving us and started crying. I never had the privilege of talking to zook face to face, and truth be told I don't even know his real name off the top of my head. But I consider zook to be a real good friend. I grew up fishing for bream mostly, bread on a cane pole type stuff, and one day I got lucky and caught a big ole bass. I was hooked, got home and got on google and found this place. Zooker treated me good from the start. He was a gentle giant, funny as hell and deeply caring. We traded pm's, joked around on chat, bs'ed on threads, made all kinds of stupid inside jokes and the whole nine. When I was 13 or 14 I was out fishing and my tacklebox got stolen. I posted about it and within an hour zook wanted my address to send me tackle. I was sneakin around on the computer and didn't want mom to know I was givin my adress to "strangers" so me and zook worked out a plan where he'd make it out to look like free samples from a tackle company. Bout three days later I get a shoebox sized box in the mail from "The Zook-n-stein Tackle Company." This box was packed full, and inside was a note that the included spinnerbait was NOT a zook n stein, but maybe down the road haha. This box was jammed, and as a 13 year old boy it meant everything to me, and it stil does. A guy in North Carolina sending some punk kid on the Internet a box of tackle. Zook gave me my first spinnerbait. My first pack of senkos. My first bandit. My favorite rattle trap. My first monster worms. He taught me about Carolina rigging and "bumping the stump." He made me wonder what the hell a zook n stein was anyway. This act of generosity made me really realize the good in people at an impressionable age. I never got to give back to zooker. I have gotten to pass the chain along to a few guys here, but not to the level zook did for me. That tackle kept me fishin, kept me from sneaking around with the hoodrats down the road or sittin in my room feeling sorry for myself. Sorry this is so long, but this guy three states away really touched my life and I'm gonna miss cuttin up with him.

Somebody on here said one time that Jesus hung out with a lot of fishermen, so the fishing in heaven is gonna be real good, and I think that's what happened with Zook. St. Peter needed a few Zook n steins built, James and John need help patterning these summer bass, and Jesus just wanted a good friend to fish with. If any of Zookers family is reading this, know that he was a great man and a great friend, and if you need anything just ask. Zook, if they let you log on up there just know I'll be thinkin of you everytime a senko or a spinnerbait catches me one. Everyone else, sorry for the length, I'm just remembering a friend of mine.

Rest in peace zook, we love you man.
Nick