What's in Your Live Well?

The bass fishing tournaments are getting ready to start with a vengeance. Once they begin, each weekend will offer another opportunity to fish for money. All bass tournaments have pretty much the same rules. Two fishermen, one boat, and the five biggest fish by weight, win. Some men will literally come to blows in pursuing first prize. And first prize can be worth lots of money, even in the smaller tournaments. As I have said before, these types of events touch both the competitive and outdoorsy side of men. It’s enough fun to fish but add in beating somebody in the process and winning cash to do it, makes it an addictive potion. Most of the time, each team will spend the first few hours on the water just trying to catch any size fish. The immediate goal is to get five fish in the boat. After (or if) that is accomplished, the goal changes. Now it’s time to cull the smaller ones that are already in the live well, for bigger replacements. Remember, it’s the five heaviest fish.

Sometimes the technique changes just for the purpose of perhaps catching less fish, but bigger ones. Again, the lesser ones get tossed back in when a better quality one is caught. And there are occasions when some good fish are thrown back because a great one is caught.

Our life is somewhat like these bass tournaments. We know we only have room for so many things in our live well. Each one of these can be of little or great importance. Our life’s pursuit and God’s desire for us is to constantly add something that has a greater value than what we already have. What we have to remember, however, is sometimes we must get rid of something, which is of great worth in order to add something else that is priceless. This decision always comes with a mixed sense of both loss and excitement. As we mature, we understand it just has to be that way. It’s just like that exercise shirt you once wore that said, “No Pain. No Gain.” This is so true. But never forget, what you give up now will not seem so great a sacrifice when you get to the weigh-in. These types of sacrifices will always put you in the money.

The Alabama Gazette welcomes Gary Miller to its wonderful arsenal of columnists. Gary Miller is an outdoor writer, author, and speaker. He has served as a Pro Staff member for several hunting companies including Dead End Game Calls, PSE Archery, Schiek Sports, and Alpen Optics. When he is not writing or speaking, you’ll find him in a tree stand, a turkey blind, or on the river. He has written 4 books; Outdoor Truths, Hunting and Fishing for Answers Volume and III and Devotions from a Hunting, Fishing, and Sports Father, to His Son. The Outdoor Truths series are a compilation of the articles he has written over time. He is married to Teresa, and they have three children and five grandchildren.