Practice Safe Fishing!

Oh, man! So much going on that it’s hard to get a read on where we’re going. I have pretty much given up trying to unravel the truth of the situation from watching and listening to mainstream media. Their messages related to the Covid-19 pandemic run the full gamut of having flattened the curve with better days coming soon to the worst is yet to come. Who and what should we believe?

Luckily we can still find peace through fishing, so long as we do it carefully. Getting on the water with family members and trusted friends who have been practicing the same quarantining and social-distancing measures are safe company against the Covid-19 health threat in my view. That’s what we have been doing. Not only has the fishing been very good, time on the water has been wonderful for the soul.

Trying to look into the future and predict where we will be in coming weeks and months could be likened to peering into a crystal ball wearing a blindfold. All the large springtime and early-summer fishing tournaments and associated festivities have been postponed due to government mandates. The CCA Texas fundraiser banquets are likewise being postponed. If you typically wait to renew your membership at a local banquet I would suggest you consider doing it online this year.

Great news amid the uncertainty – As of this writing the kickoff for the CCA Texas STAR is still on go for Memorial Weekend and continuing through Labor Day, with more than $1,000, 000 in prizes and scholarships available to lucky anglers. Scholarship awards over the history of CCA Texas STAR topped $6.85 million during the award ceremony last October. Visit the CCA Texas STAR website for more details and confirmation of dates. During the visit you can also purchase STAR registrations for yourself and family members.

These are tough times for many players in the fishing industry, both locally and nationally, and I want to take a minute to applaud the loyalty of our advertisers who are determined to weather this storm. Without their support through this crisis we would not be able to produce this magazine that so many thousands of Texas anglers enjoy each month. As you thumb these pages, take note of the advertising messages and support those who support our pastime with your purchasing power. We’re all in this struggle together and together we can preserve our fishing heritage.

It is my sincere prayer that this pandemic will be conquered and hardworking Texans can all get back to work very soon. I pray for the health and safety of our medical professionals who risk their very lives to care for the afflicted. We need our factories churning out American-made products, our oilfields pumping energy into the economy. We need our farmers and ranchers who help feed the world to survive and thrive. We need our kids back in school. We need our lives back!

When this is over let’s all go fishing!