Gulf Coast Fishing 101

Today I ventured out on my first Gulf Coast fishing expedition since our move. I'm not what you would call a real "angler", however I do enjoy casting a line and waiting to pull in an empty hook on occasion. What I really look forward to on my fishing adventures is the nature that I get to see, and the time I get with the people I go fishing with.

Today was just like any other fishing expedition, I loaded up my rods, all tangled up and dirty from my last trip, grabbed my tackle box which had not been opened in over a year, and head out to meet some new friends at the pier where I was to meet them. Shortly after my arrival at the pier, I was met by two friends and their boat, and we headed out to with all intentions of catching a large mess of white trout. Of course they were optimistic as to the bounty we would receive today. I on the other hand was less then optimistic, knowing that I have never brought home a "mess" of fish, I'm lucky to bring home even one fish.

Anyway... The expedition was showing no signs of being a plentiful trip, when all of a sudden I felt a tug on my line. Being that I'm not used to actually catching fish, I get a little excited when the line tugs. My hands begin to sweat a little, my heart begins to race, a huge smiles comes on my face, and before you know it, I'm reeling in my line just as fast as I can. All of sudden I don't feel the tug anymore. Well I have been here more times then not, and figure I have lost the fish. However, this was different, the line was still tight, and it seemed as if I was pulling in something, but what. There was obviously not a fish on my line, it didn't move, tug, slither, shake, or fight, there was just dead weight on my line. So I did what any good fisherman would do, and continued to reel in the infamous boot. However, when the end of the line became visible under the water I saw that there was something on the line, not a boot, not a toilet seat, not seaweed, or driftwood, any of those things would not have surprised me in the least bit. Instead what I found holding on to my little piece of bait with all its might was a blue crab. A CRAB!!!









With all that said, the crab was the only thing that came home with me today. We fished for another hour or so, and didn't catch a thing. So it really turned out to be a typical fishing trip for this beach bum. However the rest of the day still had some great surprises in store.

I just had to show the kids my catch of the day. They were all very excited to see the crab, Sea Breeze was scared of course, Pu Ca Shell was asking all sorts of questions like "Dad, how was the crab going to eat the bait you had on your hook, it doesn't even have a mouth?" and Surfer Boy just had to get his hands on it, and play with it, like I had brought him a new toy home. Of course I didn't let him play with the crab, but I did find it humorous that he was not scared of it, even in the least little bit.

Well after dinner, baths, and bed time it was time for my trip to the store. I tend to go out in the evenings and do the grocery shopping for the family, I may not go out every night, but most nights you can find me at the local Wal-Mart. After completing my shopping, and loading the groceries in my car, I went to drive off, when a man stopped me. He explained that He was in need of gas to get to his home a few miles away, and was wondering if I could help him pay for some gas. Until recently I would have come up with some excuse as to why I couldn't help the man, however God has really been working on me with this sort of thing, so I changed course, just slightly and went with the man to the pumps across the parking lot. While pumping the gas in the mans truck, we struck up a conversation, and I learned a lot about his situation. The economy is hurting this man, just like so many others. He is out of work, broke, and searching for the light at the end of the tunnel with no luck. We continued to speak, and I asked him if I could pray with him and his companion before they drove off into the night. He quickly agreed, and allowed me to pray a short prayer with them. After this, we parted ways, and I prayed as I drove off that this would not be the last time I would get to speak with this man. You see, we all need to find hope. Many people are looking for hope in their finances, properties, and jobs. Others are finding their hope in a bottle, pipe, needle, or companion. However, we will never truly find hope in any of these things. The only hope we have is in Jesus Christ and the debt he paid for our sin. God in all His mercy paid the price for me and for you by sacrificing His only son in order that when all that we know in this world is gone, we will have an eternity with Him in heaven.

Jesus told his disciples to "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". That thought has really rang true with me today. Here I had a fairly unsuccessful fishing expedition on the waters of the gulf coast, and yet, I still was able to bait the hook one last time and minister to a man. How cool is that! I want shout from the rooftops, across the sea, and off the highest mountain "Our God Reigns, He is in Control, and the only way to find Hope is to set all of your Hope and Trust in the one who makes regular fishermen into fishers of men!"

Until next time: Clear Skies, High Surf and Sandy Feet!!