Fishing With Oh Dad

We had an interesting day fishing a canal in the Phoenix area last Thursday. Not what I expected in many ways. We did get to meet one of Arizona’s finest though. Watch the video when it is published next Tuesday at 3PM MST, to find out what happened. Had a great day up there anyway!!

Attention fellow fishermen!!!! We were fishing in Buckeye, Arizona the other day and when we finished, we were in desperate need of sustenance in the form of food. My friend suggested Chick Filet but the inside dining area looked closed and the drive thru line was a mile long! So we decided to try Subway, but their dine-in area was closed also. So, we decided to head down I-10 to see if we could find anything along the freeway. My friend spotted a sign in Tempe for the Black Bear Diner. He said he had eaten at one before and that that they had decent prices and huge portions. Well, with that being said, we high-tailed it over there and a enjoyed a fabulous lunch. Great food, good service, and decent prices. What else could two hungry fisherman ask for!? So, if ya’ll are in Tempe (there are other locations in the Phoenix area and throughout the state) stop in, say howdy, and enjoy a great meal in an out-doorsy atmosphere. This location is 7700 S Priest Drive, Tempe. Tell’m I sent ya!!

I was reflecting on my fishing trip with Derrick yesterday to the canals near Phoenix and was reminded of this thought. When the temps are hovering at 100 degrees and the humidity is sky high and the fishing is bad, people usually comment and say things like: ” You are a fool for sitting out there and roasting.” or “I just don’t understand why you would do something like that.” So I was reminded of a quote from Jim Elliot, one of the martyred missionaries to the jungles of South America. He said: “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose.” The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:18 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” and in Philippians 3:7 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” If we do things in Jesus name, for the cause of Christ, we can never be a fool, because we can gain what we can never lose. Jesus tells us this in Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” With our country in such turmoil, I pray that who ever reads this will have made sure that he is right with Jesus and that your eternal destination is secure in heaven.

On my way home from a successful fishing trip I was greeted with some of God’s great artistry. What a added blessing after the Lord blessed me with a good time fishing. Hope you enjoy.

I want to share a story of my boyhood fishing days with my best friend Mark. I have known Mark since first grade and all we pretty much did was go fishing. We would fish anywhere there was water that we could get to walking or on our bikes. Here is the story, as he wrote it, of that long ago summer day:

“Anyway, I didn’t want to let pass a fishing story you may not remember. The biggest bass I ever caught was fishing with you down at Magnolia Lake. The old quarry with an island in the middle almost across from the the Bristol Twp. Police/Municipal building. Not sure you remember it.

I had bought a minnow net a few weeks before and we were fishing with live ones in a cove on a corner of the lake. I think it was a Saturday afternoon. There was a big, half submerged log lying a few feet from shore and we (probably you) thought it might be good spot to try. After only about 10 or 15 minutes, my bobber started to go out. I wasn’t holding the rod at the time and I scrambled to get it. I had to resist the urge to just yank the line right away. I was not a very patient fisherman, but I waited a little bit before I set the hook. The fish started to run and took the line out in kind of an arc and GOT IT SNAGGED on the log. By the time I got out to the log, stepping into the shallow water, to untangle the line, the fish kept tugging and fighting against the log.

By the time a I freed the line, the fish was spent and it was more a matter of reeling in with only few furtive tugs. I pulled it up out of the water. We measured it and it was about 14 inches. Not really big, but it was fat with a lot of girth to it. We didn’t weigh it. It was a black bass, not sure if it were large mouth or small mouth, but it was the biggest bass I ever caught, even since then. Really it was the log that caught it and tired it out.”

Great memories and great times of a different time and place when, I believe, things were a little more innocent.

I have been itching to fish some of the canals in the Phoenix area for months now and so this Thursday , Lord willing, it will become a reality. Going up with Derrick and we are going to target channel cats. Can’t wait!! Video should be dropping next Tuesday. Temperature should be tolerable and we might even have a few clouds. So, keep an eye out on my YouTube channel for the video.

I thank the Lord for bobbers, worms and bluegill. Got on some nice bluegills the other day. Sure had a lot of fun catching those things. Great fighters on ultra-lite tackle. Watch the video to see all the action. Plus keep watching to see a young man’s huge green sunfish he caught. What a fish!! Hope ya’ll enjoy the video. Thanks for watching.

Had a great afternoon the other day. Hooray!! Finally got on some fish. Watch the video to see how it went. Video comes out at 3 PM MST July 21st. Hope you enjoy it; I know I did making it. Thanks for watching.

Sure miss fishing with my boys!! It has been 3 years since I have gone fishing with the both of them. Way too long! They both live in Tennessee, so it is a mighty long way away. We always have a lot of fun and laughs and usually big fish are reeled in. Here are a few pictures from a trip a few years back.

Sometimes when the fishing is lousy and it is hot the only thing you can do is have some fun and laugh. Watch this video and see!!