Bassin' on a Budget

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all watch our favorite fishing shows and tournaments, and we all have our favorite T.V. hosts. As we watch we see the high-powered bass boats, the expensive rods and reels and the endless supply of baits at their disposal. What if we don’t have the sponsors? Or if your income is limited? Then what? Most of us can’t afford all the high dollar equipment that our favorite bassin’ personalities use. So here are some thoughts on how to get the best bassin’ gear to fit your budget.

 

BANK FISHING:

Fishing on the bank of a pond or river is where most of us got started. We used one of our

Bank fishing on Lake Okeechobee

dad’s poles, with a bobber and a can of night crawlers. In the innocence of youth, we didn’t know any other way to wet a line. Today as older anglers, how many of us revisit the joys of bank fishing on a regular basis? I do. As a matter of fact the last bass I caught was a nice little one pound mossback.  The fish are still there and biting.

Bass Boats:
I know we would all love an 18-foot fiberglass boat with a 200HP outboard, power poles and the like, and we can get a mid-range bass boat starting at about $20,000, but is that what we need to catch bass? I spend most of my time in an old 12 foot Jon boat, that I can put in the back of my truck. Over the years I have caught hundreds of bass out of this little pond hopper. Its powered by a trolling motor, which might be slightly slower than a 200HP outboard, but I can get into places the big boys can’t go.
Customizing your Jon boat is easy to do. You can add a casting deck, seats, rod holders and even dry storage. It’s perfect for one or two anglers. A used Jon boat can run from $100.00-$500.00. And you can get a new 14 foot boat for less than $700.00. Let’s not forget the paddlers; canoes and kayaks are great for fishing.
RODS & REELS:
My favorite Penn spinning reel, cost more than I want my wife to know, but most of the rods and reels in my collection are combos I bought from the local superstore for less than $50.00. These combos are tough enough for any fish you might do battle with, and most kids who might use them. I fish mostly six-foot medium action rods, with 14-pound test line. I’ve caught everything from bluegill to four foot sharks.
As with everything, proper maintenance is required. It’s easy to do, and doesn’t take up too much time. But if you’re not sure how, there is a wonderful tool out there called www.YouTube. It’s amazing what you can learn on the internet.
LINE:
Every angler has his or her favorite type of line. Whether it’s monofilament, braid, fluorocarbon, or another. Pick your favorite brand of line and buy it. Line is an important part of your arsenal, and you need to feel confident in your choice. Remember the weakest link, between you and your fish is your knot. But that’s a different story.
HARD LURES:

There are literally hundreds of hard plastic baits out there. So where do we start? If we are bassin’ on a budget, then we should choose wisely. I keep a handful of baits in all my tackle boxes. All are proven fish catchers. Here are my top five.
 ZERA SPOOK: This bait’s action is incredible. It’s an easy bait to learn how to use, just walk the dog. Zera Spooks come in numerous sizes weights and colors. My personal best bass 9 pounds 8 ounces, came courtesy of a 4-inch cream colored spook. They start at about $5.00
HULA POPPER: This is a classic big bass bait. Introduced in 1948, its name comes from the “hula skirt” on the back and the loud “pop” it makes when fished. Between the pop and the skirt that never stops dancing the Hula Popper is irresistible. There are too many sizes and colors to mention them all. My two go to colors are; black and a frog pattern. Starting at $4.99.
PROP BAITS: I have caught a lot of bass on prop baits. Just let it sit there and rest between moves. The propellers continue to spin, and BAM! I have a mini torpedo in bass pattern that’s two inches long that have fooled 5-pound bass. And a six-inch-long green and red bait, that a 7 inch, yes, a 7-inch largemouth hit. Starting at $2.99
Not all my favorite hard baits are top water. Let’s look at two baits that spend their time underwater.
SPINNERBAITS:
 One of the most versatile baits available. An angler can choose from different blades; the heavy round Colorado, the long slender willow leaf, and the tear drop Oklahoma blade. With the style and colors of the skirts, and the many different weight and color of the head, the choice of spinnerbaits is unlimited. These baits can be fished in many ways. Two of the best ways are to be slow rolled along the bottom or burned across the top. Starting as low as $1.99.
Spoons:
What? Spoons for bass? Are you crazy? That’s a pike bait. Or is it? Granted most bassers

 here in Florida, would never throw a spoon. Why? I don’t know. My go to spoon is the legendary Derdevle. On days when I cast my entire tackle box without a hit, I can tie on a Derdevle, and my rod bends.      


Like the spinnerbait, the Derdevle can be fished many ways. The stop and go works best for me. As it flutters down, bass suck it in. Sizes and colors are innumerable. I like the frog pattern, classic red over white and the yellow with red diamonds.
SOFT PLASTIC:
I think that there are more soft plastic baits out there, than there are mosquitos at my favorite honey hole. Worms, creature baits and frogs, oh my. Worms and creature baits; just go to your favorite bait shop and look, the number of these baits is awe inspiring.
I like to fish my soft plastic baits on a Texas rig. It’s inexpensive, easy to use and is weedless. These baits are the most versatile baits in your tackle box. You can work them on top of lily pads, or you can punch through heavy cover and ring the dinner bell for that big female, just hanging out in the shade. Ranging in size from less than 4 inches to over 12 inches. Talk about color choice, if you can imagine it, then they will have that color sooner or later. My favorite colors, pumpkin seed, watermelon, and green & yellow swirl.  On your bigger worms, try a 2-hook worm harness.
FROGS:

 What can I say, I’m a frogger. Most frogs are weedless, I’ve hopped them off a bank, lily pads, grass, and cat tails. I prefer natural looking legs on my frog, but a popular trend is for frogs to have strands of rubber for legs. Similar to that of a Hula Popper skirt, these legs keep moving. I’ve caught bass on frogs with both types of legs. Frogs can be fished, in a variety of ways; a fast retrieve across the top, just below the surface, slow stop and go, and many more. No matter how you fish them, the strikes are heart stopping.
If you are bassin’ on a budget, remember don’t pass up yard sales. It’s remarkable what people will sell for a dollar. Another place to get great deals is Ebay. I’ve gotten full tackle boxes for $10.00 and there are numerous single lures for .99 cents plus shipping.

I may not have the biggest, fastest boat on the water, but I still catch plenty of fish. Bass fishing isn’t about how much your equipment costs. It’s about time spent in the outdoors. Seeing a beautiful sunrise, and still being on the water as the sun sinks below the horizon. Fishing is time well spent with family and friends, and teaching the next generation about the natural world; and on a good day, its seeing a hog tail walk its way to the boat, after a quick kiss, watching it swim away.
Bass don’t care if you are fishing with a rod and reel that cost you $1000.00 or $10.00. As you can see, Bass fishing is about more than your boat or equipment. So next time you are bank fishing or out on the water in your Jon boat, and you are passed by a high powered, wrapped boat; remember you don’t have that $400.00 a month boat payment.
Take a kid fishing! And tight lines.

Poaching, a Local Problem

 

 

Mama Grizzly Bear and cub

 

 

Poaching. What is it? Simply put, poaching is taking fish or game illegally.

Some people may think that poaching is only a problem in Africa where poachers kill elephants for their ivory, or rhinoceros for the Chinese demand of the traditional medicine made from the rhino’s horn, but poaching happens everywhere. Yes even in your county.

Poaching takes on many forms, from taking of live seashells and under sized fish to baiting deer and bear out of season to numerous other methods. On July 13, 2018 a Texas woman was sentenced to fifteen days in jail for collecting 46 live queen conch shells in Key West Florida. Diani Fiscil-Gonzalez pled no contest. She will also serve six months probation and pay $768.00 in fines and court cost. www.nbc-2.com Mrs. Fiscil-Gonzalez was unaware of the Florida law preventing the taking of live seashells. Now while this is not an extreme case of poaching, it is still classified as poaching.

Have you ever been fishing on a pier or jetty and noticed a guy catch a 40-inch snook, grab his gear and run? I have, and in both cases, it was local men who seem to believe that the laws don’t apply to them. The slot size for snook on the gulf coast of Florida is 28-34 inches. Anything larger or smaller is an illegal fish and those men were poaching. The penalties for taking illegal fish includes, loss of license and fines as well as having your fishing equipment and vehicle confiscated. That’s why they ran so fast back to their car.

I personally know someone who lost his fishing privileges for a year because he was caught with three oversized trout. He didn’t know that for these fish you have to pinch the tail. The slot for trout is 15-20 inches. You are allowed one trout over 20 inches. With the pinched tail, he had 4 over 20 inches. Knowing the laws governing the activity you enjoy is very important.

 

 

Goliath Grouper

 

Recently The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrested four men in two boats for “possession of undersized fish and illegal species.” These poachers were stopped in Gordon Pass near Naples and Caxambas Pass in Marco Island. They were in possession of sea turtle parts and goliath grouper, both are federally protected. Eighty-five of eighty-six red grouper were undersized along with several oversized permit. www.floridasportsman.com The charges for these low lifes range from second degree misdemeanors to third degree felonies. With a possible jail term of 5 years and up to $5,000 in fines.

In Montana Outdoors Magazine, Sam Crutis tells us how poaching in that state is big business. Mr. Curtis relates a story of a CEO at an Illinois Company takes his employees on illegal hunts. The CEO uses an unscrupulous guide where a hunting license and tags were not needed. These poachers could take as many antelope as they wanted. Then the animals were sent to a taxidermist that they paid off so these “hunters” could show off their “skills.” In a state like Montana “poachers get plenty of opportunities to shoot big trophies, make big money and satisfy big egos.”
You can’t really profile a poacher. That’s because they come from all walks of life, rich and poor, they come from the country as well as the big city. Sometimes it’s generational. A father shows a young son how to spotlight a deer or that size and bag limits don’t apply to them, because their family was here long before the laws were. In these cases, the young man is hard to turn around, after all dad can do no wrong.

Why do people take fish and game animals illegally? Whether it’s a fish of a lifetime or a Boon and Crockett record deer, or maybe it’s just about the money, it all comes down to greed or worse. www.cnn.com tells us that in 2011 Al shabaab made up to $600,000 a month from elephant tusk, to help fund their terrorist activities. That’s just one of the terrorist groups poaching in the area.

So what can we, as law abiding citizens do to help combat poaching? The first thing we can do is instill a love of nature in our children and grandchildren and impress on them the importance of the laws that govern the outdoor sports that they love. Second, we all have phones. If you witness someone taking an out of slot fish or baiting deer or bear out of season, night hunting or any other unethical way of taking game call 911 or your local warden service.

www.wheresthewildlife.com has a few suggestions on how we can help prevent poaching.

·         Understand what poaching is, the unlawful taking of fish and game.

·         If you see something that you would like to hang over your mantle or in your office, say an alligator head, then find out what the laws are concerning the hunting and selling of that animal.

·         Volunteer with a reputable conservation organization. Do your homework though. Make sure you align yourself with an organization that has the same beliefs as you have.

Researching these organizations is very important. There are some nationally recognized names that are just out for the money. Some give as little as one percent of donations to the causes the money is collected for and don’t hold true to their mission statements. If you are going to give your money or time, give it to the local chapter. Your donations will be put to much better use than it is when given to that national charter.

No matter where you stand on our heritage of outdoor sports hunting, fishing and the like. There is one thing we can all agree on. The illegal taking of fish and game must stop.

Please Don't Feed the Alligators

10 foot gator

 

There is an old spring-fed swimming hole in a small Central Florida town, where the older teens of Cabbage Palm swing out over the water on a rope tied to a big oak tree. The water is a cool 78 degrees year ‘round, so when August comes, the spring is alive with young people trying to keep cool. The leaders of this pack of swimmers are Greg, an 18-year-old with 7 weeks left until he leaves for bootcamp and his girlfriend Amanda.  

Being Florida born and bred these kids pay no mind to Chucky, the 7-foot 600-pound gator that lives in the cool spring. Most gators prefer warmer water, but Chucky stays on the bank much of the day and goes into the water to feed or cool off. He keeps his distance from the kids swimming and they never approach or feed him.

A new family moves into the area, the Manns They are from the mid west and have two daughters, Stacy 14 and Joanne 17.

On a hot July afternoon and the spring is full of swimmers, when they see Mr. Mann feeding Chucky.
“Hey! Don’t feed him!” They yell.

Their pleas are ignored. So, Greg gets out of the water and makes his way to Mr. Mann and says,

“You can’t feed him, it’s dangerous and against the law.”

“Kid you don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yes I do. I live here and this is our place to swim. If you feed him, he will lose his natural fear of humans.”

“Go home kid. I live here too, and I’ll do whatever I want. Now get out of here!”

Turning around Greg walks away, cussing under his breath until he reaches Amanda and tells her what happened. She says, “You should call the Sheriff.”

“I’m no snitch.”

“Then I’ll call them.”

“911 what is your emergency?”

“My name is Amanda Crawford, there is a man feeding the gators at Clear Spring.”

Twenty minutes later a Florida Game Warden arrives. He talks to Amanda and the others, then goes and talks to Mr. Mann. He writes Mr. Mann a citation for unlawfully feeding alligators, and reinforces what happens to gators when they are fed.

“Mr. Mann, gators have bite force of 5,000 pounds per square inch. It can kill you or any one else it wants to. If that gator gets aggressive we will have to kill it, and that will be on your head. Do you understand”

“Yes, I do.”

“Good. I don’t want to be called back out here again. Do you understand that?”

“Yes.”

July turns in to August, Stacy and Joanne become part of the group that enjoys a nice cool swim in the sweltering heat of a Central Florida summer day.

Chucky has changed. He stays closer to the swimmers, but no one has seen Joanne’s father feeding him. On this day Chucky swims within three feet of Amanda, before Greg yells and causes a commotion near him and he sinks into the crystal clear water and swims away as they watch.

“I think we need to report Chucky and have him relocated.”

“Oh, Greg he hasn’t hurt anyone.”

“But Mandy, he is coming closer every day. He’s becoming dangerous. Mann must still be feeding him.”

In the afternoon heat the next day, Greg and Amanda are the only ones at the spring, when Joanne walks up.

“Hi Guys.”

“Hey Jo, what’s up?”

 “Hi Joanne. I like that yellow sundress.”

“Thanks Mandy. How come you guys aren’t swimming?”

Greg says, “Chucky is getting mean. Is your dad still feeding him?”

“No! The last time it cost him $1500.00. And the judge said if he did it again, he would get the full $5000.00 fine and up to five years in jail.”

“All I know is that Chucky has changed.”

“I don’t know about that Greg, but it’s super hot and I’m going for a swim.” Stepping out of
her sundress Joanne reveals her new bikini that came with the dress. She runs, grabs the rope, swings out, lets go does a mid-air somersault and lands with a big splash. Joanne comes up for air with a smile on her face, then screams as she is pulled under. Seeing her in the jaws of Chucky, Greg jumps in to try and save her as a trembling Amanda frantically calls 911.

Later in the dusk of the day, a diver finds Joanne’s body stuffed under a log in 12 feet of water. A .22 magnum from a game wardens rifle found its way into Chucky’s head.

After the necropsy was completed on Chucky where they found raw chicken and other table scraps in his belly, a still grieving Mr. Mann is taken into custody for feeding the alligator and ultimately causing the death of his oldest daughter.

Red Tide 2018

Sarasota county gov.

 

 

 

 

The South West Florida coast is under siege from the worst red tide in recent memory. This latest bloom of red tide started in December 2017, but it wasn’t too bad. A few dead fish around and the odor was nonexistent. Fast forward to May 2018, reports of fish kills up and down the coast. Well okay. It’s that time of year, this is normal. Or is it? I grew up on these waters and this is the worst bloom I’ve ever seen.

1.    What is red tide?

Red tide is a harmful algal bloom (HAB). Dinoflagellates are microscopic plants that emit toxins. These toxins can kill marine life. www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

 

no swimming

 

 

 

 

 

2.    Does the brown water release from Lake Okeechobee have anything to do with how bad the red tide is this year? Or is this a natural occurrence?

www.sunshinestatenews.com reports that this, the release of water from the big lake is a widely believed myth. A 2012 study of the red tide season states that “circulation on the west Florida continental shelf is highly dependent on the Gulf of Mexico loop current.”

 

On the other hand, www.nbc-2.com in an August 1, 2013 story reports that approximately 75,000 gallons of brown water is released into the gulf from Lake Okeechobee is full of “dead plants, fertilizer and increased nutrients.” Rick Bartleson of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation said while “The water isn’t toxic…in the future it could bring an unwanted guest. A red tide bloom.” The question remains, does the brown water release form Okeechobee increase the red tide bloom? We may never know for sure, but one thing we do know is that the pollution comes from run off from Big Sugar into the lake. But that’s another story.

 

3.    What has red tide killed this year?

Let’s start with thousands of fish from Tampa south to Naples. That’s over 160 miles of shore line. Red tide has killed game fish such as redfish, trout, snook, tarpon and countless other species. Snook seem to have been hit especially hard this year. With dozens of breeding size snook washed up on Boca Grande beaches. Among its victims are goliath grouper. As their name suggest, these are giant fish that can weigh over 300 pounds and live for decades. Along with fish the number of crustaceans killed by this bloom is vast, blue crabs, horseshoe crabs and shrimp to name just a few.

local fish kill

While this is bad, what really pulls at the heartstrings of locals and tourist alike are the dolphin, manatee and sea turtles that have washed ashore. These creatures are so loved that there are boat tours just so people can catch a glimpse of them. On August 1^st on a sandbar in Lemon Bay a paralyzed manatee was spotted, rescued and transported to Sea World only to die the next day. It is also sea turtle hatch season. On average only ten percent of hatchlings survive, how much lower will the survive rate be with the red tide? By far the biggest casualty of this year’s tide is a whale shark that washed up on Sanibel Island.

 

4.    What can be done about red tide?

There are no concrete solutions because red tide is a natural phenomenon nothing can really be done at this time. There are several theories on how to combat the dinoflagellate bloom, from restoring the everglades to tracking the bloom and putting out warnings.

 

5.    What is the possible economic impact on the South West Florida coast?

Just in my home town of Englewood the beaches are empty and so are the rental homes and condos along Beach Road. Red tide is not only having a major financial impact on realtors, but also on the bait shops, restaurants, boat rentals and more. One convenience store manager near the beach told me that their day shift is off by $8,000 a day and that’s just one store. Up and down the coast the potential cost of the 2018 red tide to the state of Florida and its residents can be as high as 87.6 billion dollars. www.captainsforcleanwater.com  



the shore of Lemon Bay Englewood, Fl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether this red tide has been made worse by the brown water discharge from Lake Okeechobee or if it’s the result of the perfect storm of early heavy rains and higher than normal temperatures, one thing we know for sure is so far this year, on Siesta Key the number 1 beach in the nation in 2017, workers have picked up 9 tons of dead fish. This red tide has the potential to devastate not only our shoreline and livelihood, but our health as well.  In the words of one charter captain I spoke with “We need a strong easterly wind to blow this out to sea.”

Review; Wingman Cooler Outrigger

 

The Wingman Cooler Outrigger on
on our Old town

Wingman Outfitter is a Roanoke, Va. based company focused on making canoeing a more mainstream activity. How are they doing this? By developing several products to make your canoe more enjoyable and family friendly.

I have canoed most of my life, but living in the gator capital of the world, South West Florida, there was always this little voice in the back of my head that said if we go over this could get bad. Especially when my boys were young. Let’s face it as much as we love our canoes, they aren’t the most stable craft on the water. 

Now in my 50’s my wife and I bought a nice Old Town at my favorite toy store, Bass Pro Shops. I was confident that our maiden voyage would be a great success. We loaded our phones, her new Canon Camera and the other necessities for our successful adventure. Was our maiden voyage successful? Yes, it was. For the phone store, the eye doctor and for Canon, one wrong move and I tipped us over. That one wrong move cost us over $1000.00. Needless to say, I was a little upset.

 

Local Gator

 

The next week I read an article in Bass Master Magazine titled, “Winging it on the Water” the article was about a cooler outrigger for canoes. I was intrigued. After weeks of research and a few phone calls to Wingman Outfitter I purchased my outrigger.

When I first installed the outrigger onto our Old Town (in under 10 minutes), I was somewhat skeptical. I told my wife if this thing works as good as they say it does it will be amazing.

We put in at Lemon Bay and paddled out about 40 yards and I rocked the canoe, Jennifer held on for dear life. We stayed dry. Then I asked her to stand up, and she did. Then all 6’4” 300 pounds of me stood up in our canoe. Shifted my weight we rocked back and forth but never tipped over. The next challenge for the Wingman Cooler Outrigger was the wake of a speeding flats boat. We hit the wake on the port side and kept right on paddling.

Jennifer Standing

 

 

Because of the Wingman Cooler Outrigger our Canoe has been turned into a virtual paddle powered SUV, it handles wind, rain and waves without any trouble and has plenty of storage for a several days float trip.

Whether you are getting older or have a health issue that makes it difficult to get out on the water and enjoy your canoe, than you need the Wingman Cooler Outrigger. Perhaps you’re an inexperienced paddler or have small children with you, or maybe you just want to show up the jet skier who swamped you last year, then Wingman Outfitter Cooler Outrigger is for you. The Cooler Outrigger makes your canoe as stable as a nice jon boat. If per chance you happen to fall out of your canoe you can easily climb right back in but that’s another story.

After over a year of using our Wingman Outfitter Cooler Outrigger, I wouldn’t think of paddling without it. Wingman Outfitter has enhanced our canoeing adventures, whether we are fishing in fresh or salt water, or exploring new waters where we know that no matter what we may encounter, we will conquer it, thanks to our Wingman Outfitter Cooler Outrigger

Visit their website at www.wingmanoutfitter.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wingmanoutfitter  and take a look at the cooler outrigger along with the latest innovations in the paddling industry. 

#wingmanoutfitter #cooleroutrigger #paddling #canoe #fishing #hunting #theoutsidematters

Me on the shore of Lemon Bay
Englewood, Fl.

A Flags View

 

 



 

 

Hello. I am a flag. No not just any flag, I am a symbol of freedom. I am 242 years old and I have the rips and tattered edges to prove it. I have flown over countries all over the world. I fly proudly on foreign shores over the graves of the brave men who fought and died for me.

I survived the revolution where I was born and a bloody Civil war, where in 1863 it was brother against brother. In some circles there are still repercussions felt from this bloody time in my history. I pray that it never happens again, but there are familiar whispers today. I flew over battles in “The war to end all wars” in 1918. My people fought and died in the European trenches where over 116,000 men lost their lives in the fight for freedom.

When the war was over my country had prosperity in the roaring twenties. That is until 1929 and the crash of the stock market. My people were in for ten long years of hard times. But my people are tough and resilient and made it through.

I was flying over the Pacific fleet on that clear morning of December 7^th, 1941. On this “day that will live in infamy,” my Navy was attacked by Japan. I would once again fly into battle. Boys as young as seventeen were enlisting to fight the Axis powers of Germany, Japan and Italy.

While I was ripped, dropped, shot and bloodied and battered I survived the battles on the Pacific Islands. Guadalcanal, Okinawa and I was raised on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. I was flying high when the kamikazes slammed into my ships where I went to the bottom with some ships. On the other side of the world I was in the English Channel when the Ailed forces landed on Normandy. It was the largest amphibian invasion in history. The war ended in September 1945.

The men and women who served returned home to a hero’s welcome.

The country was united and prosperous, through out the 1950’s, ‘60’s and early 1970’s. but it wasn’t long before I was back on the battle field. First in Korea where over 33,000 men and women never made it home and then in Viet Nam. I was flying high in Viet Nam, but the public was against the war. When my troops came home they were spit on and called names. It was a disgrace to those brave men and women who went and fought for the freedoms the protesters were enjoying. I fly over a great nation and even though it was 20 years too late, our Viet Nam vets now get the respect they deserve.

In the mid 1970’s we had the oil embargo, long gas lines, the impending ice age and our bicentennial. On November 4^th, 1979 the Iran Hostage crisis started. These hostages were held for a total of 444 days and released on January 21^st, 1981. In the 1980’s we had prosperity and “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Our economy continued to grow into the 1990’s and into the early 2000’s.

Then came that September day. Tuesday September 11^th, 2001 when almost 3000 people lost their lives in one attack on my land. The people of this country were united like never before. Then we hit back. Seventeen years later we are still fighting this enemy known as radical Islam. I am still flying high and we are winning this war.

In the 2010’s my people started to become more and more divided along racial, economic and political lines. We are more divided now than ever in my history. Some of todays young people protest me. They spit on me, burn and trample me, because they don’t like what I stand for. Don’t they understand that half a world away they have counterparts who are putting their lives on the line for me?  So that they have the right to dishonor me. My history isn’t being taught in their schools like it was fifty years ago. If a generation isn’t told about their history and culture, then it is lost forever.

Yes, people hate me around the world and right here at home for what I stand for. But without me, my beliefs and my people the world would be a much different place. It wouldn’t be as free or as safe. No, we haven’t done this alone, but when we lead the world wins.

Today things are looking brighter. My economy is booming and jobs are coming back across the board.

Yes, I am a flag, but not just any flag. When I wave in the breeze you see seven red stripes, six white strips and a field of blue filled with fifty stars. I am proud to be the flag of the United States of America!

 

Lend a Helping Hand

 

 

The last few times I’ve been out fishing, it seems that I have spent more time helping other people with their tangled reels, teaching them how to tie a knot or the proper way to bait a hook than I’ve spent wetting a line. And that’s okay.

I remember years ago people helped each other. It didn’t matter who you were, how much money you had, what color you were, your political views or where you came from. People helped people. Today it seems hatred abounds.

When I was a younger man if I came across someone who had a flat tire, and they were older or a woman, I would stop and help.  That was how I was raised. Today I might be called sexist or something. As I got older the world changed and so did I. I became more cynical, if it didn’t involve me it wasn’t my problem. And that is what’s wrong with the world today, people forget that we are all here together, with no place else to go.

What does it cost you to show some kindness? To change a flat tire, or help that person get that package of water off the top shelf? It will only take a few minutes of your time.

I was reminded of this by my two grown boys. One is a recovery specialist, helping people get off whatever they are addicted to and my other son who told me, “Dad people are just people. And if I can take a few minutes out of my day and make someone smile, then it’s a good day.”

So why don’t we try and get back to neighbor helping neighbor and make your little corner of the world a little brighter.

Matthew 25:40 “'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”