I have always enjoyed fishing, and when I retired from the NFL in January I thought I would definitely be fishing more than I had. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. But last week I got a chance to do some fishing and I really enjoyed it. I fished with Hank Parker, a really neat Christian guy who happens to be a great fisherman. Hank is a former champion angler who has retired from the pro tour and now hosts Hank Parker’s Outdoor Network, taping shows all over the country that highlight outdoor fun. Hank asked me to fish with him and tape a show and I jumped at the chance.
Today we fished for bass on a private lake north of Tampa. It was so much fun to be out on the water and to fish with an expert. The day started slowly, as we saw a lot of fish but couldn’t get them to bite in the morning. After taking a little break to let a thunderstorm pass, we had better results in the afternoon. We caught enough fish for the show but no real monsters to brag about. But as much as anything, just getting out in nature and enjoying Hank’s company on the boat made it a great day. And that, to me, is the great thing about fishing-you usually get to see some beautiful scenery and appreciate God’s creation, and you usually get to enjoy some good conversation; today was no exception.
While I didn’t catch as many fish as I would have liked, I did get to make a new friend. Over the course of the day, Hank and I talked about a lot different things-about his sport, fishing, and about my sport, football. We found out we had many mutual friends from the sports world. But we also talked about other things, like growing up and families, raising children and life in general. We talked about how life, like fishing and football, is not always smooth. However, because of our Christian faith we both realize that God is in control, even when life is not going so smoothly. And that’s comforting to know because there are sometimes going to be thunderstorms in life, too. But, just like today, some of the best fishing is after the rain.
