I Got Spoiled

Fishing in PA is tough.  I have fished mostly Glendale Lake and Canoe Creek for specifically Largemouth Bass.  And I learned that those places can be challenging because of the pressure they receive.  I don’t ever fish private waters and often times search for hard-to-reach places because many times I am fishing with my children, and I know those places would be too dangerous for them.  So, I am fishing in a lot of easy access places.

Fishing Central PA for the last 7 years has been tough, but I usually feel quite confident that I will always catch fish.  They may not be the biggest bass out there, but still a nice size, and I feel that Glendale Lake and Canoe Creek State Park has a good population of between 1-3lb largemouth bass.  Which should never disappoint any angler.  We should be thankful that we are catching fish, right?

The problem now is that I have gotten spoiled!  You see back in April I went out and caught a 6lb largie then on a few outings I have been landing 4-5lb largies consistently.  Now I just sound like I’m bragging!  But lately, I have been catching fish but no longer pulling out this big fish.  And I feel disappointed. 

I got spoiled… The problem is that I started the fishing season landing big fish and now suddenly, I am expecting that I should always be hooking into and landing big fish.  That is a problem.  You see, I should just be happy in catching fish, because it is fun.  To catch a fish that you are targeting on a consistent basis, and finding the pattern to how to get any fish to bite is exciting. 

But now if you expect that every trip you take to go fishing to land a big one, then anything less is just disappointing. 

This is like in life.  We should never think that we are expecting the biggest, best, and greatest thing to just fall in our laps as if we are entitled to such.  I should think to myself that I am no longer catching these big fish anymore because the pattern has changed.  These fish got smarter, and they are no longer in the areas that I am fishing.  So, I shouldn’t expect to get them at this moment.  I know that if I change locations, keep trying, keep working hard at locating and figuring out the patterns to bigger fish, I will start getting them on the bank again.  But that stuff takes time.  Just like all good things in life. 

To be honest, I got extremely lucky in landing big fish in April and May.  I just happened to throw the right lure in the right places to discover what they are looking for to get them to bite.  It just happened that way.  I’ll view it as part of God’s grace. 

So, when it comes to life, don’t ever think we are entitled to receive anything.  We all need to work hard and get what we deserve.  Never expect things to fall in our laps.  Sometimes good stuff happens to fall in our laps like winning the lottery, but it doesn’t happen all the time.  So just be thankful when good fortune falls on you and give thanks to God.  In the meantime, put in hard work, keep trying, never feel entitled, and get what you deserve.  And if by chance, you putting in the hard work, doing your best, trying hard, still leaves you empty handed, then keep trying, keep grinding.  There is God up there knowing that the hard work you do here will be rewarded in heaven as well.  And that hard work will also be recognized soon. 

Don’t feel bad if you don’t get the things you think you deserve, just be grateful, and enjoy the work you put in.  

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