A Sure Thing

      November tournament fishing is my favorite time of the year.  The excitment along with the pressure of finding the heavest fish can be an adventure of a lifetime.  I had me a ringer for a fishing partner.  My lifelong friend John, who is a local guide and fished almost everyday.  His knowledge of how to catch the big fish, hinged with my knowledge of the local waters, made the tounament feel like a sure thing.  So all we had to do is just make the weigh in to win; one would think. 
     John and I grew up fishing together, so we knew we fished the same - All day without stopping.  The Captains meeting had the usual menu - Fried fish, Grilled fish, and Low country boil - yum!  There were a lot of good anglers fishing, so the competition was going to be tough.  The rules were simple.  Lines in the water at 6am and weigh in five fish. The species was trout, redfish, and flounder.  You could weigh in all trout or flounder, but only two redfish could be weighed in with your catch.  Prizes and cash were to be awarded for the biggest fish in each category.  The enrtry fee was 200 dollars per angler and the purse was 5000 dollars.  This just ratcheted down on the tension for both of us.  We had always fished against each other in local tournaments, but we had never fished together in a tournament.  Come to think of it, we hadn't fished together since highschool. 
     The tournament day had the worst conditions possible.  The temperature that morning was 35 degees coupled with a blusterly northeast wind, made the tournament even more arduous.  We started out at 4am that morning.  We had went out the day before and cast for our bait, so all we had to do was get to the drop.  We used a 22 ft. flats boat with a 250 hp mercury pushing it.  Needless to say, the wind had nothing on the speed of the boat.  John hit the light switch and immediately everything in front of us lit up.  He looked at me and said  "Are you ready?"  I replied, "Can I pray first."  With an exasperated sigh he replied, "sure".  After a small prayer,  John looked at me and said, "Thankyou bud, I think we are going to need it today."
     With the words "Cover on your face",  John pushed the throttle all the way down. With speeds reaching the 70 mph mark, we headed south, way south.  Our destination was Jeckyll Island.  We had talked about it the night before, and decided that would be our best bet.  The only thing was to make the weigh in by 5 that afternoon.  After a hour and half of riding hard in the dark, dodging bouys and markers, we arrived at our journeys end.  It was called Christmas creek.  Daybreak had just started, so we waited for 6am.  With 15 minutes to spare we both sat back,  opened a thermos of coffee, and talked liked long lost friends playing the remember when game.  Laughing and enjoying the few moments of reunion,  we both looked at the time on the GPS and said in a joining voice, "Lets go get 'em."  Tucked back out of the wind and the water clear, our first cast were dead on, two trout weighing 4lbs. a piece.  That set our mark, nothing smaller than 4lbs.  Our trick was a big livewell for the fish,  hence we didn't loose any weight by icing down the fish.  There were few words spoken for the next hour other than,"Get the net", and "Thats a nice one."  I stopped fishing for a moment and glanced in the livewell.  We had 10 trout, all 4lbs or better, but I knew we needed those big reds to win. 
     I took my live shrimp and popped the head and tail off, peeled it, and threaded it on my hook.  I shallowed up, and with a perfect cast at the bank,  waited for the big red to bite.  wham!  The cork dropped out of sight!  The line peeled off my reel.  I didn't even set the hook.  This one was hungry.  John reeled in and grabbed the net.  After 10 minutes of fighting this fish, he finally gave up.  With the net gently placed under him, John hurled the big red in the boat.  A quick measurement,  22 7/8 inches - perfect.  We checked the weight 5.9lbs.  John broke the silence with "I often wondered how you caught those big reds."   I replied "you taught me that years ago."  His remark was "You know we are going to fish together for now on."  I replied "You know you will go to Church with me this Sunday too."   We both laughed as if we knew we were going to win.  After landing three more 5Lbs. reds,  I told John, "We need a big flounder to round out the day.  He said, almost shouting with excitment, "Lets move!"
    We headed up the river, way up the river.  It was 9:15 in the morning and we had enough fish to win, but we wanted all the prizes and cash.  We arrived at a spot that John had only fished once,  and that it was a sure thing for flounder.  We switched our bait to pollywogs, a small tadpole looking minow that any fish especially flounder find irresistible.  We cast over into a small pool of water sorrounded by a sandbar.  Both our corks started slowly driffting under the water.  We knew the bite was on.  A double,  and they were big!  I landed mine first, dragging it over the sanbar,  netting it, and dropping it in the livewell, hook still in its mouth.  John, playing his all the while, was hesitant.  He said with a worried voice, "I might not land this one."  Smiling, I boosted his confidence by saying, "That small fish, come on!"  That sort of fired him up.  I pulled the anchor and pushed the boat up to the edge of the sandbar.  I laid down on the front of the bow, reached out and placed the net in the water.  I said, "Just ease him over the net."  He proceeded to do so, but it wasn't easy.  After fighting him for 20 minutes, the flounder lay perfectly in the net.  I yelled out, "Hurry grab the handle!"  John dropped his rod and grabbed the net.  We both pulled the flounder over the sandbar and lifted it in the boat.  John Yelled to the top of his lungs the rebel yell!  I just sat on my knees in amazement.  I had never seen a flounder that big.  We weighed my flounder, a mere 5.2lbs.  I knew there was no comparison to John's.  I put mine back in the livewell.  John weighed his -- Are you ready -- 11.6lbs.  After a few high fives, I pushed us back off the sandbar, and we started back to the weigh in.  We arrived back an hour early.  We sat, anchored not to far from the weigh in, waiting and reminising about the day, occasionally peeking in the livewell at the huge catch we had made.  We both agreed that we would always fish together in tournaments and that John would try to start going to Church. 
     It was our time to weigh in.  We placed the fish in a cooler with a little ice.  As we approached, the other anglers started to murmur, "I wonder how they did."  The winning weight so far was 22.9Lbs.  That says a lot for the competition we had.  We slowly opened the cooler and everyone gathered around in amazement,  staring and gasping at the sight of the catch. The awards and money was to be handed out at the end of the weigh in which was at 6pm.  We weighed in 32.4lbs of fish, and won all the cash and prizes.  One would think that it isn't fair for us to fish together.  The way I look at it is this.  If I can win John back to Jesus, then I have won the grandest prize.  A soul that will enter heavens gates,  and a true friend for a lifetime.
     In Philippians 2:13 it says  "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fufill His good purpose."  My only hope is to be a good steward of Christ and set an example for John.  I hope that he sees Jesus working in my life, therefore he will want the same in his life.  I do know I will one day win him over to Christ.  My only hope is that it is not to late.  May God bless you all.

The Spotted Grail

     Though sometimes called the old salt of the sea, the large springtime spotted sea trout is the grandest prize for any inshore angler.  It's elusive and rarley seen size can reach lengths upwards of 30 inches.  To catch one of these monarchs, one must be willing to sacrifice a full day of fishing.  He must focus on a quest that is  lonely and silent.  This adventure will give the angler the ultimate achievement when given the chance to land this Spotted Grail.
     As a dark squall was gathering momentum on the horizon, I headed out to the edge of the sound in search of this colossal of the sea.  The humid clouds sagged against the rising sun, making them appear even more dark and ominous.  The storm was heading north of me, so to make sure I had a fighting chance, I surveyed my surroundings and found a small beach that would give me an advantage to ride it out if it turned and came my way.  The surface of the water had a lite chop.  The wind was coming from the southeast at a brisk 10 mph., and the tide was flowing in.  A sandbar ran from the middle of the sound out to about a halfmile past the demarcation line.  I anchored my boat on the southern edge and let the wind push me up against the sandbar.  As the water rose to cover it, It would allow me to let out more rope to increase my chances of reaching the skinny water where the evasive prey awaited my stealthy approach.
     Standing on the bow of my boat with my rod leaning against me, I held the bait for the day.  It was a finger mullet.  These four to six inch fish are considered to be the choice delicacy for these mammoths.  I threaded my hook through its mouth at an angle so that the mullet can not only breathe, but be able to tease and lure the giant into having him for a quick bite. 
     After three hours of fishing without a nibble, my mind slowly cleared itself of all its worries and struggles that had haunted it during the week.  Thoughts of thankfulness to the Lord for allowing me the good fortune to be here fishing coupled with His many Blessings that He has given me, soon gave way to a clear mind that was focused on catching this mighty beast.  With the tide just starting to ebb, I pulled my anchor and allowed my boat to drift freely over the sandbar.  I retrieved a fresh mullet from the livewell and hooked him in his tail this time.  This gave the bait more freedom to do its job.  I shortened the depth to the top of my cork.  To my right I noticed a school of menhaden skimming the surface of the water.  I threw my mullet past them and waited motionless.  The boat slowly drifted toward the ocean on the ebb tide.  I waited for what seemed to be an eternity.  My bait soon started to squirm causing my cork bounce up and down.  My cork slowly eased itself along the surface of the water.  I knew this would be my only chance for the day.  I watched my cork move faster along the surface.  I slowly started reeling in my slack line.  The cork slipped under, causing my line to cut across the water.  Reeling up to a tight line, I allowed the fish to pull hard against my rod, bending it more and more with every second.  Grabbing the rod firmly with both hands, I pointed it towards the fish.  Mumbling "Lord be with me", I set the hook hard.  It felt like I was hung on the bottom.  Suddenly my drag started screaming.  The line was peeling off my reel at a frantic pace.  With my thumb, I slowly tightened down on my drag.  The line slowed as my rod bent to its breaking point.  The line in the water raced towards deeper water.  He slowly turned my boat which was floating freely with the tide.  I played the fish for a good twenty minutes.  He didn't seem to be getting tired.  I knew my only chance of catching him was to keep him in deep water.  I was well off the sandbar now.  I reached down grabbed my anchor and chunked it overboard.  He started to battle harder now, as if he knew his time was near.  I tightened down on my drag a little more.  Thoughts of loosing him raced through my mind.  This old salt was fighting me hard so I eased back off the drag a bit.  This seem to allow him enough freedom to let me start bringing him towards the boat.  He was fighting less now.  I slowly brought this great monarch up to the surface.  "OH WOW!" I yelled.  This trout looked to be over 30 inches.  I played him ever so gently, bringing him closer and closer to the boat.  The water boiled as he swung his head back and forth.  My fear now hinged on almost sheer panic of loosing this catch of a lifetime.  I loosened my drag a little more and let him make one more run.  This time he tired enough to swim right to the side of the boat.  I had a decision to make now.  Do I keep this fish or let him go.  My mind struggled on what to do.  Finally I looked up and thanked the Lord for allowing me to see this great and mighty Spotted Grail.  I reached for my knife and with one final survey of this beautiful creature, I cut my leader.  I watched with mixed feelings as this wonder and beauty of Gods creation swam away.
     In many ways God often test our Faith in Him.  It depends on our relationship with him on how we deal with the outcome.  The power of choice is one that is yours through prayer and study of Gods Word.  As you increase the number of Spiritual decisions you make, your Faith in Him grows.  This process cannot be rushed.  Each of us must have time to fail, reassess, and experience the Spiritual outcomes of our efforts.  Wisdom is knowledge combined with experience, which is gained through Faith and study of Gods word.   Proverbs 3:5,6  says:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight."   You fall in the direction you lean.  If you lean on Him, you fall in His arms that is an unmoveable leaning post on which you can depend on.  May God Bless you all .

The Perfect Day

   In my library of favorite fishing memories, only one comes to the forefront as the perfect day.  It was a chilly late April morning as I headed out from the boat ramp.  I knew I had a long run to my favorite fishing spot, so I brought the boat slowly up on a plane, made a quick check to make sure everything was secure, settled back in my seat and put the hammer down.  Checking my GPS speed, I leveled it off at 40 mph.  The wind had a stinging affect on my face, but I knew if I was going to catch the tide just right I better not slow down.  I had a good 45 minute ride ahead of me and my teeth were already starting to chatter.  To keep my mind off the cold, I began to take in the beauty of the moment.  The water was flat, not one ripple.  It had a mirror effect on the early morning sun and clouds.  "This is awsome" I thought to myself as I eased down on the throttle a little more.  A quick glance at my GPS - 45 mph.  The sound of the wind rushing by my ears drowned out the motor.  I ducked my head down behind my windshield to try to keep the chilling wind off my face.  "This just isn't going to work" I told myself, so I eased back down to 40 mph.  The wind and cold didn't seem to be so bad now.  After another 20 minutes of riding, I arrived at my fishing spot.  I shifted the boat into neutral, stood up, and started rubing my face to warm it up.  I nudge the boat back into gear and slowly made my way over to the fishing drop. 
   I eased the anchor down into the water until it hit bottom.  While holding the rope, I bumped the boat in reverse letting out the line till it drew tight.  I tied it off, shut the motor off, sat back and just let everything settle.  Eveything went quiet.  I watched my breath drift on a cloud of fog.  "What a perfect time to talk to the Lord.  It's amazing when you are alone how talking to the Lord just seems to not only satisfy your mind, but give you a since of joy knowing that He is there with you.
   After checking the baitwell, I dipped out the perfect size shrimp.  I walked to the front of the boat, and dropped him.  "You're not getting away" I told him.  I grabbed him and quickly placed him on my hook.  I knew the fish were deep so I set my depth of my cork for 25 feet.  I made a long cast to the just to the right of an overhanging tree.  The cork laid on its side for a few moments, then slowly stood upright in the water.  The tide was almost high, so the current had slowed to a perfect crawl.  The water was like glass.  I waited patiently for the bite.  I flicked my cork a few times, but not so much as to mess up the look of the water.  It drifted out  from the tree a little, and I got myself ready.  Sometimes you just get a sense that you're going to get a bite.  Wham!  The cork shot out of sight, making what seemed to be a hole in the water.  I reeled down to get the slack out of my line, pointed my rod down, and set the hook hard.  The rod bent almost double.  "Wow!" I yelled as my drag screamed to the point of almost melting its washers.  I knew I had a fight on my hands.  I eased back off the drag, letting him make a long run.  The water came to a boil on the surface about a hundred feet away.  My adrenaline rushed through me.   I tighted down on my drag and started to slowly fight him.  This old boy had been around awhile though.   He started swiming slowly back towards the boat.  I kept my line tight; reeling in my slack just enough to keep him pulling.  Suddenly he turned and made his run.  I eased back off my drag just in time.  It screamed back out.  The water boiled again.  My adrenaline coupled with the with the fear that he might get away was almost overwhelming.  After fighting him for a good 20 minutes, he slowly began to tire.  I reeled up on my line as he approached the boat.  I caught the first glimpse of my cork.  My mind raced as to what species of  fish this might be.  After a few more hard runs back to deeper water, he finally gave up.  I reeled up on my line as he swam towards the boat again, grabbed the net, and quickly placed it under him.  I dropped my rod, grabbed the handle of the net with both hands and pulled him in the boat.  Wow!  It was a trout.  I hastily measured him.  Twenty-eight inches!  I gently placed him in the cooler and immediately closed the lid.  It exploded with a loud hammering on the ice. I collapsed on the deck of the boat.  My arms were like rubber.  I sat back looked to heaven and thanked the Lord for a perfect day!
   Sometimes I often wonder if I am praying the right prayer.  As you grow with the Lord, your prayers also grow.  Jesus hears all our prayers.  It's just on his time table when he answers them.  If you are passionate when you pray, you will benefit from an abundance of Gods love.  I found in praying, I always try to put myself last.  Jesus knows my needs and my struggles already.  Therefore there is no need to emphasize myself to Him.  Keep in mind that Jesus said in Ephesians 6:18  "And pray in the Spirit on all occacasions with all kinds of prayers and request.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lords people."  He knows everything, therefore keeping his Word will always give you a helping hand in all you do.  Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and love everyone for who they are.  Remember He calls us to humillity, humbleness, and fellowship.  May God bless you all!

A Day On The River

    The sun broke the horizon just as I pulled up to my favorite fishing hole.  I quietly walked to the front of the boat and eased the anchor into the water.  I rose to my feet to enjoy a quick moment of solitude and prayer.  The wind was calm and the surface of the water looked like glass. "Wow" I whispered to myself.  The beauty of the suns rays streaking across the sky coupled with the reflection on the water was something only God could create. The smell of the salt air seemed to have a cleansing effect on my mind.  The sounds of marshhens in the distance broke the beauty of the moment and I found myself reaching for my favorite rod.  I jumped to the front deck of my boat and began to eagerly scan the surface of the water.  In the distance I could here a faint splashing of water.  The excitement was overwhelming and I made a quick dash to the baitwell. I carefully dipped out a few shrimp; picking out the one that seemed to be a little big.  After a quick check of the livewell to make sure the aerator pump was working, I stepped quietly back to the front deck of the boat. 

    After fighting the shrimp for what seemed an eternity, I placed him gingerly on my hook.  A quick scan of the surface of the water once more, and I saw him!  It was a big redfish tailing on the edge of the shell rake about 70 feet out in front of me.  I checked the depth of my cork, "3 feet, I hope I'm right" I murmered.  I reared back and made a perfect cast just to the left of him.  A few flicks of my cork and he made his turn.  His back grazed the surface of the water as he raced towards my cork.  The shrimp began to jump out of the water, circling my cork trying to elude the hungry redfish.  One more flick and the bite was on.  This old redfish had been around awhile though.  He played with the bait, making my cork dance to and fro. I knew I had to be patient. The cork started to move very gracefully down into the water until all that remained was the top 2 inches.  He slowly made his way off the shellrake and out toward deeper water, dragging the cork behind him.  Suddenly the cork slipped down under the surface of the water.  I reeled up my slack until I could feel him tug on my line.  "Wait for it" I thought to myself. I lowered my rod tip down, tighted my line and with a mighty yank I set the hook.  I watched my rod bend to almost the breaking point. The fight was on!  Immediately he tore off 40 yards of line.  My drag on my reel was screaming.  I tightened it down just a hair, and he turned.  I knew then I had him.  After a few more runs back to deeper water,  and a few thoughts of don't loose him, he finaly gave up the fight.  I brought him to the side of the boat for a quick guesstimate "30 inches" I told myself, as I carefuly pulled the hook from his mouth.  Holding him by his tail, I gently moved him back and forth to revived him.  Splash!  He was gone and I was instantly blinded with saltwater. After a few moments of stinging I could see. Whew!  I fell back into my seat and shouted "Man what a fight!"  My arms felt like rubber.  The adrenaline was still racing through my veins.  I set my rod back in the rod holder and proceeded to wipe my face and arms dry.  After a deep breath and a prayer of thanks to the Lord, I headed back to the livewell to do it all over again.

    I often wondered how I could fish all day and not complain one time, even if I didn't get a bite.  While on the other hand, if I were doing work for the Lord, I would sometimes catch myself thinking of either how I could get out of what I was doing or think of what else I could be doing.  If you think about it, it doesn't seem fair to the Lord.  There is no "easy way out" solution to this problem.  First, the Lord knows what is on your mind.  In fact, He knows your decision before you even make it.  In Acts 20:35 Jesus says --  I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak.  And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said,  "It is more blessed to give than to recieve.

    When I am working for the Lord, I try to keep in mind that what I am doing is for Him. Therefore my joy remains in the work that I am doing.  When you help someone, the Lord will bless you and help you in many ways.  It may not be anything that you can physically touch, but you can rest assure if you do it for the Lord, He knows and He will remember.  I often look at it like this.  When I give of myself to help someone in need, the Lord has given me an opportunity to show His love and His kindness to that person.  The blessings are on Gods timetable.  He knows what you need.  I sometimes think about what his blessings would be.  Would I recognize them?  The fact is His blessing could be anything from a smile from somone when you are down to a feeling of joy at church when someone is saved.  Always keep Jesus close to your heart, and He will guide you to make the right decision in whatever you do.  May God bless you all in all that you do!