Reginald Crews, Tournament Angler

Today I was competing in an American Bass Anglers tournament on Clark’s Hill (Lake Thurmond). I got a 5 fish limit of bass by 10:00am but my 5 fish might have weighed 6 pounds. Between 11:00am and 12:30pm my bites turned off. At about 12:35pm I lost focus on fishing and started focusing on my children. I started focusing on how just 12 almost 13 years ago I was crying at the birth of my son and later on the birth of my 2 daughters. I thought about all of the Barney tv shows, videos, and songs I had to endure when all of my kids were infants and toddlers. I say "endure" because I can’t stand Barney. I’m old school. Give me Sesame Street, Bugs Bunny & Friends, Popeye, The Electric Company, Captain Kangaroo, and for those growing up in the Triangle area of North Carolina in the 1970's, Uncle Paul. But for the love of my kids I endured John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. I thought about how the kids are growing and their future endeavors.

I also thought about how blessed I was to be married to my physically, spiritually, and emotionally beautiful wife. God truly made her for me and I for her. God has blessed our union and our family. As I was pondering on these things I got a little choked up. At that moment I said from the heart, "Thank you Jesus." Shortly after that I started back to focusing on fishing. Then it happened.

Shortly after thanking God for my blessings I caught a fish bigger that my smallest fish. So I tossed the smaller one back. Then I caught my biggest fish I’d ever caught in a bass tournament, a 5.96 pounder. Boy I threw up about 10 or 12 "Thank You Jesuses" while fighting her and after I got her in the livewell. I threw the smallest fish out, continued fishing, and upgraded one more time before the weigh-in at 3pm. My original 5 fish limit had grown from around 6 pounds to just under 13 pounds. I came in 4^th place and won Big Fish of the tournament.

Something was verified today that I’ve grown to believe in my short 40 years of living. If you thank God for the things that He has already blessed you with and for the smaller things in life, then He is more apt to bless you with your wants (within reason and His will). Try it this week and see what happens. But don’t do it when we’re competing against each other.