Hey all,
So I finally got out on my boat Saturday for a little bit of crappie fishing here in the great state of South Carolina. I have not made time as of late for doing one of the things that makes me come alive so I was really looking forward to getting out on the water. More importantly, I was really hoping I could finally catch some fish on this lake that I had yet to figure out.
After much aggravation and much longer than I was hoping it would take to get out on the water that morning......I finally made it out. As I started my day...it quickly went from optimism to more of the same aggravation that I had experienced many times before. Besides the wind and rain that was threatening......it had been 1-1/2 hours and I had yet to land one single fish. Defeat was setting in and I was beginning to think I may never figure this place out.
Then it changed. But not how I thought it would.
As I went to a new spot on the lake to try my luck, I had an encounter with two of the nicest men I believe I have ever met. While floating into a cove, I came upon two older gentlemen who were fishing and absolutely having a blast. They were laughing, joking, and ribbing each other (like fishermen do). They each had a couple of poles in the water and catching fish. Their attitude as infectious. I was drawn to them. As I floated nearby they promptly asked how I was doing? "Not so well", I disclosed. I told them I was hoping to catch a few but had not yet figured it out. We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes and as we did, they proceeded to catch several fish! All of which from the area that I had just floated through and caught nothing. They laughed and joked the entire time. I could not help but feel their joy. Even though I wasn't catching any, I started to feel better.
While the man in the front of the boat was reeling yet another fish in, he began giving me pointers on what to do.
"Go into the wind he said. That way. Move slowly. Fish about 10-15' deep. You will get one. Keep going along that line. That's it. There you go. You'll get one. Slowly now."
And then....boom. Fish on. Then another. And another. All the while, he is cheering me on. "That a way, you are figuring it out now, way to go." After fish number five and six, then the ribbing came.....like we were old friends...... "your starting to get something figured out over there aren't you?....maybe you need to tell me the secrets....are you holding out on me?" It was so great. We were bantering like old buddies, yet we had only met 20 minutes before.
These two men not only had the joy of fishing, but they had joy in their hearts and it was real. Real joy. The kind that you can see, feel, and are drawn to. We ended up fishing close to one another for the next hour and we had a blast. Later, my other friends came by in their boat and the men gave them the same lessons as well. Told them everything they knew and encouraged us all. They would agree....it was really cool.
I cannot recall meeting men who were so nice. So real. So joyful. I want to be like that.
Don't you?
We never even had to tell each other our names.
Strength and Honor,
-S
So I finally got out on my boat Saturday for a little bit of crappie fishing here in the great state of South Carolina. I have not made time as of late for doing one of the things that makes me come alive so I was really looking forward to getting out on the water. More importantly, I was really hoping I could finally catch some fish on this lake that I had yet to figure out.
After much aggravation and much longer than I was hoping it would take to get out on the water that morning......I finally made it out. As I started my day...it quickly went from optimism to more of the same aggravation that I had experienced many times before. Besides the wind and rain that was threatening......it had been 1-1/2 hours and I had yet to land one single fish. Defeat was setting in and I was beginning to think I may never figure this place out.
Then it changed. But not how I thought it would.
As I went to a new spot on the lake to try my luck, I had an encounter with two of the nicest men I believe I have ever met. While floating into a cove, I came upon two older gentlemen who were fishing and absolutely having a blast. They were laughing, joking, and ribbing each other (like fishermen do). They each had a couple of poles in the water and catching fish. Their attitude as infectious. I was drawn to them. As I floated nearby they promptly asked how I was doing? "Not so well", I disclosed. I told them I was hoping to catch a few but had not yet figured it out. We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes and as we did, they proceeded to catch several fish! All of which from the area that I had just floated through and caught nothing. They laughed and joked the entire time. I could not help but feel their joy. Even though I wasn't catching any, I started to feel better.
While the man in the front of the boat was reeling yet another fish in, he began giving me pointers on what to do.
"Go into the wind he said. That way. Move slowly. Fish about 10-15' deep. You will get one. Keep going along that line. That's it. There you go. You'll get one. Slowly now."
And then....boom. Fish on. Then another. And another. All the while, he is cheering me on. "That a way, you are figuring it out now, way to go." After fish number five and six, then the ribbing came.....like we were old friends...... "your starting to get something figured out over there aren't you?....maybe you need to tell me the secrets....are you holding out on me?" It was so great. We were bantering like old buddies, yet we had only met 20 minutes before.
These two men not only had the joy of fishing, but they had joy in their hearts and it was real. Real joy. The kind that you can see, feel, and are drawn to. We ended up fishing close to one another for the next hour and we had a blast. Later, my other friends came by in their boat and the men gave them the same lessons as well. Told them everything they knew and encouraged us all. They would agree....it was really cool.
I cannot recall meeting men who were so nice. So real. So joyful. I want to be like that.
Don't you?
We never even had to tell each other our names.
Strength and Honor,
-S
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