Great Days and Special Memories- Fishin and Football

Talk about a blessed man!

It started last Sunday morning. The 'work' of hard fishing conditions of wind and choppy waters subsided and turned the Mississippi Delta into a pristine lake.

As we went out into the reeds, it was as beautiful a sunrise as I had ever seen.

And the redfish were hungry!

All I can say is that we caught fish from 7Am until 1:30 PM - we pulled one in about 3 or 4 casts. Every spot produced some kind of nice catch. A lot of reds, but we also caught a big speck, a founder, a blue fish, a freshwater cat, and two monster Jack-cavelles.

I still cannot express the fun of having a redfish attack your lure- they hit it hard- they come to put a hurt on you!

But as sweet as that was... I still find unbelievable satisfaction in coaching my football team. My team really picked me up this week- we had fun practices in the mud and it paid off with a very special win at DCA last night.

We have beaten our #1 rival now 5 years in a row... and it never gets old. We just played really well and pushed a close halftime game into a relatively comfortable 4th quarter win.

I received so many texts, e-mails, and phone calls about how proud people are in our effort.

I am so happy and so thankful.

The Lord is good!

The Hunt for Redfish and Perseverence

I wanted to mention a few more things about our fishing trip to the Mississippi Delta.

Saturday was a big disappointment.

It was a beautiful day- and amazing sunrise- and perfect temps. We could tell the wind was going to be up, but still confident in landing redfish early and often.

On about my third cast in open ocean (about 3 ft deep) I hit a big one. The technique is fun. I threw a nice spin cast rod and reel with 50 lb braided line. I had a plastic jig tied on just below a large cork. Once you hit the water you begin a retrieve and POP technique.

I popped, reeled, popped, reeled, popped BOOM! When a redfish hits, you know it ain't no catfish. But I thought I missed him, my line went limp and I paused..... bad mistake- the cork was still under and the big red was running right at me.

Mike Frenette yelled at me, "REEL!"

I began to try and catch up and then he went in reverse- the power is hard to describe on that light tackle- but oh my! did he pull and then... SNAP... line broke.

Mike's stinging commentary, "You let him wrap the line around the cork. That was a big fish you just missed." (Thanks for telling me).

Unfortunately, that was the last big redfish hit I had that day ( I did get a small one 2 or 3 lbs). We did nothing.... yeah, we caught about 50 catfish, Bill even caught a nice largemouth bass. But the redfish were not eating... we saw them but did not catch them. Bill caught about a 7 lb. redfish late in the day.

Mike last comment- "This was the worst outing I have had in three years.".

But we knew we had another day. We just had to keep after it- and Sunday will be a memory for the ages.

Before I tell that story though- it just reminded me to hang tough... sooner or later the tide has to turn.And when it does hold on... it is one good ride! Sunday story to follow....

Musings in the Mississippi Delta

My good friend, Bill Hawkins, picked me up on a rainy, Nashville Friday and we began a trip that I will remember for a long time.

I had never done anything like this before. So I was extremely thankful and excited as we boarded the plane, got to New Orleans before we could even eat our peanuts, and headed south to Venice, LA- about as far south on land a person can go.

I had no clue how blessed I was going to be. It started when I learned that we were fishing with Mike Frenette. Over 20 years experience has earned Mike Frenette world wide recognition as the very best charter captain in South Louisiana.

Mike currently has his own television show ``Outdoor Adventures With Mike Frenette", which airs in the New Orleans area, and a fishing segment each Thursday on WVUE Channel 8. He has also appeared on ESPN's ``Salt Water Journal" with host Mark Sosin, and on TNN's ``Great American Outdoors" with Ron Shearer, along with other guest appearances.

Mike has a great set-up- right on the delta. His boat is on the water, his lodge right over it, so all we did was eat, sleep, and fish.

The eating was about as good as it gets. Mike has his own cook, Gloria, who had authentic Cajun cuisine waiting after each day of fishing. Her dishes included grilled redfish, creole pasta, and shrimp jambalaya.

I also have to mention the unusual beauty of the Mississippi delta. It is a place of resurgence following the devastation of Katrina. As we skimmed the shallow waters of the brackish water, it was surreal to see new structures and destroyed structures in the foreground of God's beauty.

There were rusted out barges being overtaken by dazzling vegetation and brand new buildings going up on the shore. There were the amazing engineering of the gas and oil plants scattered in acres of high reeds and alligator water.

It was like something out of a James Bond movie as we stormed through the reeds into open water. The no wake zone looked like a scene from water world and the environment constantly changed from unmarked natural marsh, to open ocean, to unexpected natural gas pumps dotting the landscape.

The water depth would always range from 3 to 6 feet. We anchored in some places that looked like a vast ocean only to realize that for miles the water was no more than 3 1/2 feet deep.

I'll write later about the fishing part and the amazing redfish that we stalked. But there is something about being there that makes a person feel so alive. It was a therapeutic escape and an experience I will always treasure.