A “Fish” Story by Reva Lachica Moore
“Reva, how’d you like to come surf fishing with us?” my husband Edwin asked me one day.
“What? You’re asking me to stand in waist-deep water for hours just to fish? Why can’t we go fishing in your bass boat?”
I never understood why some folks like surf fishing. Imagine fighting the waves for hours while you wait for a nibble. But my husband Edwin loved surf fishing; he always came home quite thrilled after a weekend fun. One day he coaxed me into going with him and his friend Chuck.
The four-hour drive to the Gulf Coast was exciting. We shared stories along the way. The sun was slowly setting when we reached the ocean. Since I’ve never surf fished, I was surprised to see around twenty surf fishers: men and women of different ages standing in waist-deep water several feet from each other. They were lined up on a quarter mile stretch.
From their stance, I could tell nobody was catching anything.
The surf fishers looked at us as we went in the water. I found a spot between a man and a woman. I made sure there was plenty of room, for I didn’t want to invade someone’s territory.
Edwin and Chuck decided to fish around the big rocks a few hundred feet on my right. The current striking the rocks traps smaller fishes that become bait to bigger fish, according to Edwin. He had good luck in the same area the weekend before.
Nobody was catching anything. I asked my neighbor fisherman if he had had any luck. “I‘ve been standing here for 3 hours without a bite,“ he said. I was getting tired standing on my toes each time a wave came. After half an hour later, I became impatient. Suddenly I thought of a great idea. I like praying for everything so why not pray for fish. So I did.
“God, this is probably a silly prayer but would you please send me a big fish. I’d like to surprise these people standing here even if it’s just my first time to surf fish.”
I hadn’t finished praying when my bobber disappeared in the water. I had a bite and a big one! I started screaming! “Hey Edwin, Chuck, come help me!”
The fish was quite large and started circling around my legs. My rescuers heard my plea and quickly came to my spot. Edwin took hold of my rod and started reeling the fish in.
“It’s a big one, Reva!” his voice had a melodious excitement to it. I believe any catch, big or small, brings joy to a true fisherman. But alas, while Edwin was placing the catch in the net, the big fish got away. Edwin’s face showed disappointment.
“Maybe we’d catch the same fish again,” I tried to encourage him. Edwin and Chuck went back to their places near the big rocks.
Disappointed, I implored God for yet another big fish. “God, You saw the fish that You sent. It got away. Would You please send me another big fish? How about sending me many big ones. Thanks!”
In just a matter of seconds, my line went down again and I started screaming for help. The fish circled around me. Edwin and Chuck with happy faces came to help. It was a white perch, 17 inches long. Amazingly, as soon as I placed my baited line in the water the third time, another big perch took it. By this time, I was shrieking in excitement. The other fishers started to come to my spot. They had crowded me, so Edwin asked them not to come too close. During the next two hours, we fished. The fishermen around us caught some, too. Edwin tied the string of the fish basket around my waist; I dragged it in the water as I fished. And with around 25 live white perches in it, I was pulled every which way.
It had gotten dark, but Edwin didn’t want to leave. Everyone had already left except us. Only after Chuck warned us of the scavengers that come after the good fish, did we stop fishing.
So what’s the moral of this fish story? Don’t underestimate a ‘first time’ surf fisherwoman who prays. 😀
Note: I didn’t go surf fishing again. Why? A month after my fishing adventure, a tragedy happened within a mile from where we had surf-fished. Two fishermen drowned after a rip current dragged them to the ocean. It was told that the men panicked and tried to swim back but lost energy and drowned.
By the way, this can also cause someone to drown: a big wave smashes a person by surprise and he or she is caught in the strong undercurrent and “white water” and drowns. When a big wave breaks, the water mixes with many tiny air bubbles. This “white water” is so light that you cannot float in it or keep your head above. So you could drown.
Today…I’m no longer a fisherwoman…
Matthew 4:19 “And He said unto them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”