Inside Bass Fishing

This week Tyler Brink and I started the Inside Bass Fishing newsletter.  It is a weekly newsletter that is sent to your in box every Monday.  Its free which doesn't happen much anymore.  The newsletter has bass fishing articles, contest and product reviews.

The idea behind this is to help other anglers that want to write bass fishing articles get there work out there to the public.

Like I said its free all you have to do is send an email to insidebassfishing@gmail.com.  I am really excited about this and hope that others will like it.  If you are not on the Inside Bass Fishing mailing list do yourself a favor and get on it.

Cleaning UP

So I went fishing the other day in some freezing cold weather.  After losing feeling in my fingers and then gaining it back I caught some fish but I lost some lures.  Granted we buy tackle knowing there is that possibility, but my problem is when we lose them on things left in the water.  If I get a crankbait hooked on timber and snap it off, ok but if I lose a lure on fishing pole or bungee cord there’s a problem.  I’m not perfect, stuff falls out of my boat and into the water even though I am usually cautious to not let it happen.  I can tell you there is a fishing pole sitting in a river that my wife threw in while making a cast, or the one I broke over my knee and tossed in (not proud of it).  

Fishermen across America were allowed to keep fishing with lead tackle, but it seems to me that lead is  not the biggest problem our water is facing.  How many times have you been on the water and seen trash floating in the water, or pulled something out of the depths with a lure?  In the last two months I have brought up, bungee cords, poles, caulk guns, etc.  I’m not an environmentalist or anything but I love fishing and I want our waterways clean so my kids can enjoy fishing and their kids can enjoy fishing.

Now I’m going to get a little preachy for a minute.  When man sinned for the first time, he was not the only thing that fell in original sin.  The animals via the serpent were cursed and so was the world (land).  If you don’t believe me read Genesis 3 carefully and you will see what I mean.  But as God’s creation we are also charged with caring for all he has created, which includes the world.  We, as anglers, need to care for the water we love so much.

When you reel in trash, put it in your pretty boat, get the carpet dirty and when you get back to the boat ramp put it in the trash.  I don’t know how many times a year I do this.  Also I want to rant for a moment about fishing line.  If you cut fishing line off, don’t just throw it into the water, keep it in your boat and throw it away.  I hate snagging on fishing line in the water.

Learning to Persevere

I love to fish a crankbait, and I love to fish fast.  But I also really like to fish a jig.  Fishing a jig you have to be slower and more methodical.  It goes against my nature to fish slowly but when the situation calls for it I can slow down and fish that way.  However, when I think about it I probably miss situations when I should slow down and fish a jig.  I get in a mode where I fish fast and that’s all I think about, “Where’s the next spot to throw that crankbait, what’s my next casting angle?” and so on.

Over the last year I have really worked on slowing down and fishing better with a jig.   I worked out a sponsorship deal with Atomic Tackle Company and with this partnership I have had to focus on fishing with a jig.  I have worked even harder at learning to fish a football jig over cover.  Slowing down and learning these techniques have really paid off in catching fish.

I could not have learned to fish this way without a lot of practice and patience.  I endured despite losing a bunch of jigs and while trying to figure out what a branch feels versus a fish.  Endurance is one of those things we all need.  Yes, endurance is hard wired into our being but how many people don’t use it, we all know people who quit when things get hard.

Our faith in Christ is no different.  It is easy to follow God in the good times but even easier to turn our backs on him when things get tough.  Matthew 10:22 gives us hope “and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  When we persevere through the tough times we grow closer to the Lord.  It’s funny how fishing can help my relationship with the Lord; enduring through learning how to work that football jig over cover has helped me to know I can endure through other situations that come my way.

Thanksgiving

With today being Thanksgiving I thought I would talk about things I am thankful for.  I have an incredible wife that I married after only knowing her for two months because I felt God leading me too.  I am blessed to have a wife that at times doesn’t understand my fishing and the things I am doing but stands beside me and supports me.  Plus she reads and edits most of my writings so you don’t read all the typos that spell check misses.  I could not write this blog or my magazine articles without her, so next time you see her tell her thank you.  

If a year ago you would have told me I would be doing the things I am today I would have told you that you were crazy.  In about four months I have gone from no sponsors to seven.  BB-Lures, JJ’s Magic, GLCC, Centermark Coaching, Atomic Tackle Company, Bass Fury, Fish Bait Radio.  I have articles being published in magazines.  I have been contacted from companies like Lazer Trokar to do product reviews.  I have been able to interview Shaw Grigsby.  I am so thankful for the opportunities God has given me and allowed me to do.

One of the things I am grateful for is my boat.  As I write this I realize my wife is going to chuckle when she reads this.  I am always looking at new bass boats and dreaming of a new one.  However I am thankful for my 1979 Ranger.  I am thankful because I can go and fish, I can fish bass tournaments.  At least I have a bass boat.  I am lucky.  

Most of all I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord.  I have lived my life without him, and I know that I never want to go back to that life.  I am blessed to have a savior that loves me and sent his son to die for my sins.  The best part is that everyone can have that relationship with the Lord.  This Thanksgiving I hope we all stop and think about the things we are thankful for.  Have a great Thanksgiving. 

Friends

I know fishing is cathartic for me.  When things are going wrong in my life, I find peace standing on the deck of my boat.  Pulling in a big or small bass helps clear away all of those things going wrong.  Yet when I have friend in the boat it seems to do the same thing, even though it seems like when I have a friend in the boat the competitor in me comes out.

Sunday afternoon my friend Josh and I hit the river   fully expecting to pick up where I left off the other day catching bass left and right.  I expected it to be bassapoloza, yet when we pulled up on my hot spot I nailed on fish and that was it.  We moved around and started catching fish.  Just as the sun set we pulled back up on my hot spot and the fish turned on.  Josh and I drilled the fish for an hour after the sun went down.  I couldn’t believe it night fishing in November.

I have to admit, when Josh had more fish than me and was bringing them in and I wasn’t a fire was lit in me.  I started changing baits doing anything I could to catch fish.  Eventually I figured out the lure and retervie and started pulling them in as Josh stopped catching them.  Looking back we caught fish in a few places I didn’t expect and wouldn’t have moved if Josh had not suggested it.  I tend to get stuck in my ways.  I would have pounded my hot spot with crank baits if Josh had not suggested we moved.  We wouldn’t have caught 7 of the bass we did if we didn’t.

I was reading Proverbs 17:17 which say: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”  Granted not catching fish was not adversity per say but when you are on the water it can be.  There can be a great feeling having your best friend in the boat helping you zero in on the fish.  If Josh had not been there a great day may have not been so great.  If I had been by myself I wouldn’t have stayed out on the water as long as I did.  When the sun was going down I would have buttoned up my rods and made the run back to the ramp.  I thank God for those friends he has put in my life, and the way they challenge me. 

Almost going Ike

The other day I was out fishing on my hot spot and catching bass.  It was then that I realized when you fish in Michigan in 30 degree air temp people watch.  I was fishing near some guys    working on railroad tracks and every so often they would watch me bring in a bass or two.  There is also a bridge near where I was fishing and people walking over would stop and watch me.  I had pulled in 12 good bass over a few hours.  I hooked into a big fish; it took me a few minutes to fight it back to the boat.  I got it within a foot of the side of the boat, and could see the silhouette of this large fish 6 to 8 inches under the water, when it happened:  I went for the net and my line snapped!

For a split second I almost had what my wife refers to as an “Ike” moment.  If you have been around bass fishing most people know Mike Iaconelli.  Ike has a tendency to lose his cool when things go wrong.  There have been times when I have had an “Ike” moment.  Once when my wife and I were fishing our second team tournament last year, I was slow rolling a spinner bait over a log, the spinner bait got caught on heavy braided line someone had cut and left in the water.  As the spinner bait hung up, the tip of my rod broke.  The “Ike” in me came out;  I ripped the bait caster off my rod and snapped the rod over my knee.  Not one of my best moments.  But the other day when the line broke and I lost that fish which almost resulted in another uncontrolled moment.  Luckily the “brain to mouth” filter caught me before profanities fell out of my mouth.

As a Christian I try to be a light to others around me.  With  people watching I’m glad I didn’t let the string of profanities come flying out of my mouth.  What kind of example would that have been?  It would have been a poor one.  One of the first verses I ever memorized when I became a Christian was Ephesians 4:29, which says: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  I truly believe that the words we as Christians use can affect our witness with those around us.  Instead of screaming all the words that came rushing up when my line broke, I just screamed “NO!” and might have stamped my feet like a little kid.  But I know that I kept my witness to those watching me fish.   I never told them I was a Christian but hopefully they saw that I was different from the world.

How To Winterize your Boat

It’s getting close to time for winter in Michigan and the dreaded task of putting the boat up for winter is looming.  So what does someone need to do if they are going to winterize their boat for the winter?  I hope to give you an easy check list for those of us stuck in the north and with no choice, except to put the boat up for another year.

            Let’s begin with the engine.  The heart of your boat is one thing you don’t want to let the winter take its toll on.  In states where freezing weather occurs you don’t want water in your gear case or engine.  When the water freezes it can cause serious problems like a cracked engine block or a cracked gear case.  This can cost serious money to fix or replace. 

There are a few things you will need before you get started.  You will need a flat head screw driver, fogging fog, “ear muffs” or container to run motor in, STA-BIL and lower end gear oil.

            You will need to run your engine when putting it up for the winter.  You can place the lower end in a container of water so you don’t over heat your engine, but I have found that the “ear muff” attachment for a hose works best.  You want to start the motor and disconnect the fuel line.  You are doing this to clear all the gas out of your engine.  You will want to give the carburetors a shot of the fogger.  Before all the gas is used up your motor will begin to run ruff, when this happens give the carburetors a bigger shot of the fog this will help make sure the engine is coated in the fog. 

            Now you want to remove the engine from the container of water or take off the “ear muffs”.  Put the motor strait up and down, this may mean you need to crank your trailer way down or even put the tongue of your trailer on the ground.  Let the water drain from the pick up on your lower end.  Some engines have drain plugs you can open, check your owner’s manual to see if you have one.  You also need to drain the water from the motor itself.  You can hand crank your fly wheel a few times or crank the motor a few times.  Like I said if you live in the north where it freezes this step is critical, if all the water is not out of the motor you could end up with some serious repair bills come spring.

            Once you have removed all the water from your lower end and the motor, you need to remove the spark plugs.  Once you have removed the spark plugs spray the fogger in to each spark plug hole.  Since you have the spark plugs out it is a good time to inspect the spark plugs.  Make sure they are gapped correctly, if the spark plug looks bad take this chance to replace it.  Once you have fogged the spark plug holes and checked over your spark plugs put them back in.

             Now we come to the point in the task that has two theories when dealing with the gear oil in the lower end.  Some say you need to drain the lower end oil and fill it back up all the way.  I, however, was taught that you need to drain the lower end oil and leave it out until spring.  The idea in both theories is that you want no water in the lower end.  By draining the lower end you are removing the water.  Some say that filling up the lower end with gear oil will push any water still in there out.  Like I said I was taught to drain all the oil out and leave the plugs out so any water can run out.

            Now let’s turn our attention to the fuel in your boat.  The most damaging thing that can happen come spring if you take care of winterizing your motor is water in your fuel.  Once again there are two theories on dealing with your fuel when winterizing your boat.  Some will fill the fuel tank all the way up, the idea behind this is that if your gas tank is completely full there is no room for condensation to build up and ruin the gas.  If this is what you chose to do I recommend that you use a fuel additive such as STA-BIL (which can be bought at any auto parts store or boat dealer) to help combat this.  The other option is to drain the fuel tank.  You can take it in and have it done by a professional (safest option) or you can siphon the fuel tank yourself.  Please if you do this yourself be careful.

            From the motor we turn our attention to the boat itself.  First and for most make sure you remove the drain plug from the boat.  You don’t want any water in the haul of your boat.  If it freezes you can develop a crack in the fiber glass and have serious problems.  Make sure that you jack the front of your boat so all the water in the haul runs out the back end of the boat.

            If you live in extremely cold areas of the country you may want to consider bringing your batteries indoors.  You want to make sure your batteries are fully charged.  This is a good time to check the water levels in the batteries and make sure they are full, if not fill them.  If you move your batteries into your house leave them on a trickle charge or don’t charge them at all.  Every so often you can check the batteries and see if they are still charged and if they are not you can charge them.

            When you are putting up your boat for the winter, it’s also a great time to clean out your boat.  Over the summer we all tend to accumulate things in the boat that we don’t need.  So this is a great time to clean out all the unneeded items in your boat.  I also take out all my tackle and store it in the house.  I want to keep it from getting mice in it.  It’s also a good time to go through your tackle and reorganize it (more to come on that subject at a later time).

            The last thing to deal with then winterizing your boat is your trailer.  This is a great time to make sure that the wheels are greased and if the bearings need re packing this is a great time to take care of it.  It also a good time to check your lights and make sure they are working properly, or even need to be replaced.

            I hope if you live in the cold climate these tips will help you so if you take them to heart next spring when you fire up the boat you don’t have an unwanted surprise in the form of a giant repair bill. 

Trokar Hooks: Does the Hook Live Up to the Hype?

All anglers have faced the challenge of setting the hook on a fish, and coming up empty handed.  At times we don’t set the hook hard enough, which allows the fish to come free from the hook.  Trokar has come out with the sharpest fishing hook on the market to help us catch more fish.  Trokar hooks are surgically sharpened and allow an angler to set the hook with less force.  The three sided cut makes the hook sharpening process different from all other hooks on the market and allows an angler to set the hook with less force and still have a better hook up with that fish you are fighting. 

            I have always been a Gamakatsu hook man, but when I got a call from Eagle Claw to test out the new Lazer Trokar hooks, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  When the hooks arrived, the first thing I did was get in touch with Shaw Grigsby, one of the pros who helped design the hook shape and someone who uses Trokar hooks exclusively.

Grigsby told me that no matter how many fish you catch with it will never dull.  To be honest I wouldn’t believe it if I had not put the Trokar hook to my own test.  I took the Trokar TK 130 flipping hook and drove the point into a block of wood repeatedly.  Then I took the same hook and used it to pitch and flip with.  The hook still set easily into the mouth of the bass.  According to tests, the Trokar hook needs less force to set the hook.  This has shown in my own fishing experience.  It seemed that every bass I caught on the Trokar hooks set themselves, even when pitching and flipping.

            The high carbon steel that is used to make the hooks show it’s strength and stands up to the toughest logs and still comes back in the same shape as when you started.  The Trokar B.A.R.B. works wonders as well.  It holds the plastic in place, securely like nothing I have ever seen.  With two barbs it keeps the plastic in place better then just one barb like on other hooks.  This allows you to spend less time pushing your soft plastic back into place between casts.  With 11 types of hooks there is a Trokar hook for every application.

            Trokar hooks are also being used by lure makers as well.  Wayne of Atomic Tackle Company (atomictacklecompany.com) even offers hand poured jigs with Trokar hooks you can order casting jigs in 3/8, ½, 3/4 and 1ounce with these awesome Trokar hooks.

            There are drawbacks with the Trokar hooks.  According to Grigsby “You can’t use the Trokar hooks for practice”.  The reason for this is because you will not be able to shake the fish loose before getting it back to the boat.  There is also the price of the hooks.  A package of four hooks runs around $10.  If you consider how sharp the hooks are and the fact that I have not lost a fish using the hooks, it is money well spent in my opinion.  I believe that the hook lives up to what Trokar says, and that ten dollars may be the difference of winning a tournament or losing it. In that case, does the ten dollars really make a difference?   

           

Now that I have tried the Trokar hooks and seen what they can do, I know that I cannot go back.  The point on the hook is too good and there is nothing like it out there.  So if you want a better hook up ratio and want to lose less fish, do yourself a favor and go get some Trokar hooks today. 

Check out the Trokar website www.lazertrokar.com

Giving Thanks

By this time last year the boat was put up for winter.  This year I am even thinking about fishing tomorrow.  It has been an awesome fall.  We have had off and on 70 degree weather since September.  Last week it got almost to 70, well this week the weather is almost 50.  It’s been odd.  But the added time on the water has been great.  I got to try out new things and found some honey holes I never new existed.  Before long the snow will roll in, the boat will be put up till spring and I will think about fishing until it’s time to get the boat out again.

It’s funny, I have taken this nice weather for granted.  I haven’t stop and thanked God for the extended fall.  I haven’t thanked God that I will most likely be fishing the week of Thanksgiving.  We are approaching that time in America when we stop and think about all the things we are thankful for.  Yet Christians shouldn’t just stop and thank God in November, we should be thanking him all the time. 

 

We can easily get wrapped up in life and not thank him for all he gives us.  It is easy to forget about God until Sunday and never pray until we walk into church.  Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6 says it better than I can, we need to remember that God cares about us and loves us.  He wants us to spend time in prayer and thank him, just as we want to be thanked for the things we do.  So I challenge you to spend 5 minutes thanking God for all he has given you today.

Can't Tell a Lie

Today I embarked on a new adventure in fishing.  I got a video camera and had my friend Josh help me film some footage of me fishing an Atomic Tackle Company jig dipped in JJ’s Magic Sauce, around lay downs.  This is a technique I have been working on and have pretty well mastered.  Things were going to plan; I explained how I rig it and how I fish it.  To be honest I kind of felt like one of my hero's on T.V., but then things didn’t work out like I planned.  After an hour of filming I could not catch a bass on a jig.  There is plenty of footage of me missing a bite, or me working a jig through the trees.  Just no fish!  Before we filmed Josh and I ran to a spot I had found two days before, and he and I had put fish in the boat on crank baits.  I began to wonder, “What if we run up river nail some more fish on a crank bait and then keep the best one, hook it with a jig, put it in the water near a tree and fake me nailing a fish on a jig?”  I have read different items that say those pictures in magazines are faked; most times the fish aren’t caught on the bait hanging out of their mouths in the pictures, would this be any different.  After talking with Josh I had my answer……”No!” it was not an option.

I came to realize that no matter how much I wanted my first fishing shoot to be perfect it wasn’t going to happen.  Maybe to someone else the idea of lying about how you catch a fish would be ok, but for me and my belief in Christ, I could not lie about it in good conscious.  Yes, I could have faked the set up like I thought about but that would have eaten away at me for the rest of my life.  I pride myself on being honest in a world that at times bends the truth for its own benefit.   I didn’t get the footage I wanted but I have a clear conscious which is more important to me. Plus I spent 5 hours on the water with my best friend; we still got a bunch of good fish, and started the filming. The end result was not a complete video as what I had wanted but it was still worth every minute.  I also witnessed one of the funniest things I have ever seen:  Josh pulled in a sunfish on a Strom Crank bait, not a small crank bait a LARGE crank bait.  I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.

Going against the flow

I was out on the river fishing yesterday and found a part of the river that was producing fish unlike any other I had been to. This one spot had a very strong current, was only about 300 yards long, but the current made it hard to fish. I put the trolling motor on high and worked my way up the 300 yard area. My trolling motor was working harder than it ever has since I’ve owned it. Every time I took my foot off the trolling motor the current pushed me back 10 to 20 yards in a matter of moments. I would have to work my way back up slowly to get to the spot I wanted to fish. It was after this occurred multiple times that I had a thought about life.

The thought I had was that fighting the current on the river is much like the life of a Christian. The current was much like the world moving in one direction where Christians are like my boat fighting against the flow (current). Christians are called to be a light to the world and we do this by being different from the world. We don’t do the things that the world does. When I stopped running the trolling motor, the boat was swept up in the current, we are no different when we stop following Christ. Christians lose our way and get swept up into things of the world that we should not be involved in, but like my trolling motor, God is there to help get us back on course.

Still learning

Every day I learn something new. Today is no different. I just finished reading Dave Mercer’s book “135 Secrets Fish Don’t Want You To Know”. I couldn’t put the book down and I have already started reading again so I can mark pages that I can refer back to later.

We, as anglers, are always learning. I heard Bill Dance say once that no matter how old you get an angler is always learning. Whether we are reading books, magazine articles, or spending time on the water learning from our mistakes; anglers always want to be better at a their craft. Until this year I would have never thrown a jig around lay downs and rocks, but now after losing a lot of jigs and a lot of headaches I have the confidence to throw them anywhere.

I remember when I first became a Christian wondering how those teaching me understood the Bible so well. I always thought that they had some special gift that others didn’t have. However, I was wrong. We can all become teachers of the Bible we just need to apply ourselves to understanding what the Bible passage we are studying is about. Like an angler those teaching the Bible need to read and learn. Instead of magazines and books to better understand the Bible we need to read commentaries and the footnotes in our Bibles. When we study and read we can learn and teach others about the Bible.

As we learn we can practice to throw our knowledge anywhere just like those jigs but instead of catching the “big one” we can lead others to the top Angler, Christ.

Changing it up

Going to a Christian College I hear a lot about sharing Christ with others. I have learned over the last 3 ½ years that each person is different and unique and one single approach is not going to reach everyone. You have to get to know the person you are trying to reach. Once you understand the person, you may then begin to share Christ with them.

The same is true with a bass. One approach to catching them is not going to work day in and day out. Just because yesterday you caught them on a crank bait doesn’t mean that the next day you are going to catch bass the same way. You may have to adjust your approach and throw something different. It might be as simple as changing the color of your crank bait or even the speed of your retrieve. As anglers become in tuned to what the water temp is, what the clouds are doing and many other factors that affect the behavior of the fish, we catch more.

One of the greatest examples of this in the Bible is in Acts 17:16-34. Paul is in Athens and sees a alter to an unknown god. Paul uses this alter to tell the people in Athens about this god the one and true God. Paul also quoted the philosophers of the time to help him reach the people of Athens. Paul adjusted his approach of preaching the message of God from preaching in the synagogue to Jews, to preaching to the people of Athens

Anglers need to be able to do the same on the water when we are trying to adjust our presentations so we can catch those bass we are after. Christians can also take the leading of Paul and learn that we cannot share the Gospel with an Atheist like we would someone who is Jewish or Muslim. Christians and anglers alike need to look at the situations around us and read the signs of the situation to reach people and to get those bass in the boat.

communication

I had a friend of mine call me last night, and share the joy of catching a 7 pound bass on Sam Rayburn. This was the biggest bass he has ever caught. When he called he said he was going to send me a message on Face book, but decided he wanted to tell me over the phone.

It made me wonder, what has happened to face to face communication? We have so many things that allow us to hide behind a computer and never have to talk to someone. We chat on Facebook and AIM, we email instead of sending a hand written letter. I wonder if kids growing up today will have interpersonal communication skills or will all communication be over a computer?

I’m just spouting off but as a fisherman that has sponsors I need to represent them. I need to be able to talk about sponsors’ products with a person face to face. Anglers need to have good communication skills, but with the way culture communication is changing it is becoming harder to develop these skills.

What if Jesus had not come to earth and died for our sins 2000 years ago but instead came today? He would not have been able to preach like he did then. Would we all get on line and listen to the latest Jesus Pod Cast? God is all knowing and He knew that when He sent Christ it was the perfect time. I am so glad that He did come to earth and that I can have a personal relationship with him.

When Stress gets ya down

We have all had days when it seems like nothing goes right, whether it is while we
are fishing or in personal lives. It seems like when it comes to fishing it easier to deal with the “bad” days. We can put our head down and keep fishing; fighting through all the bad things that have happened and if we are lucky things tend to start looking up because we catch fish.

When it is our personal lives, keeping out head down doesn’t always work. Remember the old saying “when life gives you lemons make lemonade” does it really work that way? For me I would have to say no. For me when things in my personal life are bad it seems like the other old saying “when it rains it pours” is more what it feels like. I have been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately and it seems like they just keep piling on. So what are we to do? I try the approach I use in fishing and I put my head down and keep pushing through, but most of the time it doesn’t work.

Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” I read this today and thought about what I’m going through. Is there really anything that I could be going through that God can’t handle? The answer is no, God is bigger than the problems I have. The truth is, if we go to God in prayer with our problems he’s there to help and comfort us. Now does that mean the next time you are having a rough day on the water that God is going to put a 10 pounder in your boat if you go to him with it? Most likely not but it’s a nice thought.

Slowing Down

It seems like I always have something going on, I need to get from point A to point Z in a day as fast as I can. We live in a fast paced world, and at times we all fish at a fast pace as well. Terms like run and gun come to mind. How many times have we heard a bass pro talk about running and gunning? It’s the world we live in, and at times fish in.

My wife is from Louisiana and when I’m down there it drives me nuts that no one is in a hurry to do anything, unless it’s that bass boat flying across Toledo Bend (which her parents live on). Maybe it’s not such a bad thing if we slow down and take our time. If we don’t we can miss out on some great opportunities. I went out yesterday for what I thought would be my last fishing trip of the year, after a few hours and one fish in the boat (caught by my friend, Josh) we headed in. After the boat was on the trailer and out of the water Josh took off. One of the only times I slow down is when I am locking down the boat on the trailer and rods on the deck. As I cleaned the boat before heading for home one of the other two boats on the water pulled up to the dock. On the way to get his truck he stopped and we talked for what could have been a five minute conversation but turned into an hour and a half conversation. This old guy gave me tons of helpful hints and pointers to try. I could have cut the conversation short because there was a list of things I needed to get done but I didn’t.

It’s like us with God. We can cut our time short with him. We could only spend time with him on Sundays when we go to church, but then like me today we could miss out on a lot of useful information. When we read the Bible and spend time in prayer we get a closer look at God and what He wants for us in our lives. When we rush and don’t make time for God we lose out on all the things He has to say to us. If I had run and had not stood there and talked to this guy I would have missed out on things that I can translate into more fish on that body of water and maybe more tournament winnings next summer. The same is true with God. We could not stop and listen and learn and miss things that will save us hurt later.

Sponsorship

It seems that anybody that fishes bass tournaments wants a sponsor (s). I have spent my fair share of time thinking that way too. It wasn’t until recently that I realized it’s not what the sponsor can do for me but what can I do for my sponsor. I think we tend to get greedy when it comes to sponsors. We want more and more.

I have spent some time recently helping some anglers who want sponsors. What keeps coming back to me is that idea of what can I do for them. One of my goals is to help other anglers; I want to be a fishing coach. I want to help other anglers see how to reach their goals of getting sponsorships but keeping in mind that it is not all about them.

As I was writing this I was thinking, what if Jesus had only thought about himself. What if he had decided, you know what this is about me and what is best for me, I’m not going to die on the cross? Where would we be? But instead Christ thought about us, and what he could do for us. We as anglers need to have the same mentality and not worry about what that sponsor will do for you but what we will do for the sponsor.

being content with what I have

I feel like God is trying to teach me to be content with what I have. This has got to be one of the hardest lessons of my life. I really want to fish bigger tournaments and to do so, and compete at a higher level with those in them I know I need a bigger faster boat then the 17 ft bass boat I fish out of with an 85 hp motor.
So where do I say ok? I am content knowing that right now I will not get a brand new boat from the show room floor, I will not get all the cool electronics and all the best tackle. So how do I stay content when I know that a bigger boat is what I need to compete on a bigger scale?

The reality I have come to is maybe I need to be content fishing in the smaller tournaments for a little longer even though I want to fish bigger ones. Last week I was reading about the new rules for qualifying for the Bass Master Classic and got the bug to fish the Open events. How cool would it be to win an Open event and qualify for the Bass Master Classic! Sadly I know my family cannot afford it.

Being content and happy with where I am is a challenge, however its one I know I can overcome with the help of God and my wife. She has been a lot more supportive lately and I know if we could afford a bigger boat I would own one. If we could afford for me to fish the Bass Master Opens I would be fishing them. I have often wondered why God blessed me with such a great women and as this journey in fishing tournaments and other projects has begun I understand why. She is my sounding board, she is my helper, she is my friend (and at times team mate in tournaments), and she is my rock. I know without question I could not do what I have already done in fishing without her.

So being content where I am is hard but I know that with my wife behind me I can continue to be content and on occasion still drool at the Nitro’s at Bass pro Shop, or at new tackle on line or at the tackle store and she will remind me about being content.