August 31 – “Dolphin luck”

My fishing time went pretty well yesterday.  I would call it a successful day, anyway.  Conditions were really good.  Gentle swells that never got over my head.  Cool water.  Just enough clouds to block the rising sun when it started to get hot.  Not too many fishermen out, even if it was the start of the Labor Day weekend.  Plenty of bait fish working all around me.  The only thing I can think of that would have made it better would have been for me to get out there sooner that 7 a.m. 

I knew it would be a good fishing day when the guy next to me hollered over to ask if I had seen the dolphin that had just surfaced.  I had indeed.  That has been a personal sign of “good luck” for me (of course I don’t so much believe in luck, but that is a good fisherman’s way of saying I was hopeful for the day’s catch) since two dolphins ran off a shark that was circling me on day.  I think that story is already in my journal archives somewhere.  Sure enough, my second or third cast brought a really nice-sized speckled trout, and so the day began.  The dolphin continued playing and fishing within eyesight for quite a while.  I even watched one that looked like it was juggling.  I would flip a good sized fish into the air with its nose a few times before disappearing, I assumed to enjoy its flying fish pizza.

After one more trout and a few good whiting, the action kind of slowed down a bit, hence my ruing not getting there sooner.  I was still losing bait, though, so I knew there was something else out there.  I did lose one hook.  I felt a strong strike, and the pole bent over for a brief second, but just as quickly as it hit, the fish was gone.  Could have been a mackerel or even a small shark.  Something with those sharp teeth.

The next excitement came suddenly and completely without warning.  I had my line out and hadn’t had a bite in several long minutes.  The guy next to me wasn’t catching anything either.  We were being lulled to sleep in a daze of inactivity, when out of nowhere, barely five feet in front of me, and other dolphin surfaced.  Talk about an adrenaline encourager.  He was a big one, too.  Five or six feet long at least.  I looked over at my fisherman partner and he was laughing.  I must have visibly jumped out of the water.  He was kind, though.  His only comment was, “Yep, I seen it, too.”  About the time my heart was returning to normal, the whiting started biting with a fury.  See there?  More of that dolphin “good luck.”  I ended up with a good mess of whiting to go along with the two specs.  I think we finally have enough fillets to let Zakary know he can come down and celebrate their new church and new home in Waco with one of DadDad’s good ol’ fish fries.  Bring it on, Zak.

Psalms 107:41-43 says, “But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.  The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.  Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.”

Father, thank you for providing food in such a fun way.  Amen.