Long Winter

It’s been a long winter.  I am so ready to fish it’s not even funny.  I though with the fact that I had gotten to fish into December I would not get cabin fever as bad this year.  Man was I wrong; I think my cabin fever is worse this year.

In 27 days I am going to Smith Mountain Lake to fish the Fishing for Charities event.  My wife and I have been planning the trip for a few months now and are both looking forward to the vacation.  She is going to fish with me because it’s a team tournament.

I have never been so excited about a tournament.  I have always wanted to fish Smith Mountain Lake so the chance to fish it is awesome and exciting at the same time.  I felt the same way last year when I went to Toledo Bend to fish a Big Bass tournament.

God is good I was worried about having the money for April but he has provided.  My wife is meeting friends and we are sharing a cabin with them so cost to stay is going to be less.  Plus I get to fish the 3 days we are there well she hangs out with her friends.

I am glad that Dwayne Linkous contacted me about writing a God based blog for the Fishing For charities website.  I would never have heard of the Fishing for Charities tournaments if he hadn’t and would not be going down.

God works in ways I never will understand but I’m glad he does.  I am so glad that Dwayne Linkous contacted me and I am able to share my blog with those who go to the Fishing for Charities website.

Alton Jones

Well if you don’t know Alton Jones has been dominating the current B.A.S.S. Master Elite event this weekend.  I think Alton Jones is a great guy.  He is a Christian and a heck of a bass fisherman.  I have had the opportunity to talk with him on the phone and email for articles I have written.  I did a post about him (read here) a month back.

Gregg Kizewski posted on Alton Jones Facebook “Great job Alton! Jeremiah 17:7-10” today, so I went and read it Jeremiah 17:7-10 says:

 ⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
   whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
   that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
   its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
   and never fails to bear fruit.”

 ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things
   and beyond cure.
   Who can understand it?

 ¹⁰ “I the LORD search the heart
   and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
   according to what their deeds deserve.”

I think this verse speaks wonders about Alton Jones and some other anglers on the B.A.S.S. Elite circuit.  All too often I think we as fans get so caught up in pro athletes we forget about the kind of people they are.  We over look the things they do because of how they are.  I know there are Christians in other sports as well who are a good example.

However there are those athletes who aren’t who I wouldn’t want my son or daughter to grow up and act like.  I am grateful that B.A.S.S. allows pros like Alton Jones, Shaw Grigsby and others to share their faith and thank God on stage.  Remember what verse 10 says, the Lord knows our hearts and rewards us.  It might not be here on earth but we are rewarded. 

I want to wish Alton Jones the best of luck to on the remainder of the tournament.  If he wins (I think he will) we will have two Christians with wins in the B.A.S.S. Elite series this year.  What if the streak continues how cool would that be.  Just a thought.

More thoughts on Custom Painted Crankbaits

I have been hanging problems writing blogs lately.  Maybe it’s the fact that I have not been on the water lately.  I have not had that time alone with God in his creation.  I have to say I am feeling it.  I miss my time with God being on the water.

I was reading 2 Corinthians 5 the other day.  It is a great chapter of scripture.  It is in my opinion one of Paul’s greatest writings.  To be honest I have read it over and over trying to understand what Paul is really trying to say.  I would love to read it in Greek so I can see all of the things that don’t translate into English that we miss, but I am not there yet in my Greek understanding. 

What really stuck out to me was 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  When I read this I immediately thought of a blog I wrote months ago about custom painted crankbaits. 

The point of the blog was that when we become a Christian we are like a crankbait that is custom painted after you buy it.  The paint is stripped and made into a new creation.  We are the same; we are stripped of your old ways and made new when we allow Christ into our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us just that, the old is gone!  Just like the old paint on the crankbait is gone our old self is gone.  The “New” is here in the case of a crankbait it’s that new paint job put on by the artist creating it.  In the case of a Christian it’s the new life we gain in the artist of Christ.

 love the analogy of the crankbait receiving a custom paint job and how we as Christians get one as well.  I hope that you have received a custom paint job in your life.  I hope that God has brought the “New” into your life and the old is gone.  If not maybe it’s time that you stop and listen to the words of God and allow the transformation.

Commitment

In a post a few days ago I talked about reading “Fishing With Confidence” by John Mark Warren.  Like I said then the book is not your typical fishing book.  However it has made me stop and think about my fishing.  I started looking back at last year and tournaments I fished.  I have to be honest I fished a lot of NBAA tournaments and got my butt handed to me, week in and week out.

Looking back I realized I used the same lures week in and week out.  I fished the same spots, because I was comfortable in those spots.  I never looked for new spots to fish after I had practiced and found some that held fish.

By the end of the tournament season I had no confidence in my fishing ability.  I didn’t even fish the last three events because I figured what’s the point.  I had no plan to fish NBAA this year, they are team tournaments and I fished with two different people last year, my brother in-law and my wife.  When I told my wife I was not going to fish them she said she wanted to.  Because I love spending time with my wife and being on the water I figured it would be ok to get whooped on.

Once I started reading “Fishing With Confidence” this attitude has changed.  I am starting to look forward to fishing NBAA.  I know last year I made mistakes.  I was reading in “Fishing With Confidence” about commitment.  It talked about how when we really want something we commit to it.  Losing weight, being a doctor and even fishing.

The day after “Fishing With Confidence” came in the mail another book I had ordered showed up, Mike Iaconelli’s new book about finesse fishing (did a review check it out).  I am not a very good finesse fisherman, and being that Ike is one of the best I thought I would learn from the best.  John talks about committing to being the best no matter what it is.

It got me thinking, when I want to be better at something I out my head down and learn as much as I can about it.  When I became a Christian I studied the Bible trying to understand more about God.  When I want to learn about finesse fishing I read books articles watch videos.  Being a Christian is no different, we have to Commit to change, commit to following God.

Commitment is important no matter what we are doing.  Weather it is angling or being the person God wants us to be.  Are you committed to being the man or women God wants you to be?  If you are get in the Bible and learn more.   

Rattle or no Rattle are we listening

I was reading an article about baits with rattles, and those without.  It talked about what it would be like to stop and listen; we still hear things even in the quiet.  Bass are no different because sound travels farther and better under water.

The article went on to talk about baits being made without rattles and the fact that companies are still rolling out new baits filled with rattles.  I thought it was funny at the end of the article was an ad for the Strike King 6XD silent crankbaits.

The article made me stop and think about God.  How often do we really just stop and listen to him.  I know I don’t always stop and listen like I should.  I do more of it well I am on the water fishing.  For me standing on the boat making cast I listen more for God.  I don’t know if it because I am in nature and I feel closer to God.

We need to take the time to stop and listen to God all the time.  I have been working on this in my own life.  If we spend time with God in prayer we will hear him.  Unlike fish we don’t have to worry about if we should use rattles or not.  God is always ready to listen to us.  We simple need to stop and talk to him.  No rattles required.

Fishing With Confidence

Confidence what is it?  Well if you read the book “Fishing With Confidence” by John Mark Warren you might know.  I meet John thru Facebook, and have been eager to read his book.  A few weeks ago I ordered and yesterday it arrived.

John has been an inspiration for me.  When I am down and stressed about writing and working on a project that I am not going to talk about yet he has been there to help encourage me.  I am only thru the first chapter of “Fishing With Confidence” when I am reading it I don’t want to put it down.

The book is not your typical fishing book.  However that being said if you are a tournament angler like me you need to invest in the book.  It is about building confidence even on those days you aren’t catching fish.

Are we not our own worst enemy when we are on the water?  I know when I have trouble finding fish I get down making the day worse than it is.  The book is going to help you with that.  Make sure you check out “Fishing With Confidence”

Confidence is just as important when we talk about faith as it is when dealing with fishing.  Before I was a Christian I had confidence in me, but I did not have any idea what happened when I died.  The truth is death scared me.  When I accepted Christ that fear of death left, I had confidence that I would spend eternity with the Lord.

That’s the great thing about faith, we have hope.  Hope that life does not end when we died but instead we are going to be with God in paradise.  I have never met someone that was not a Christian with that hope.  Life is short and a life without hope is bleak and sad, don’t let that be you.