Catch of the Day

By Jimmy Houston

Fishermen don’t rely on luck in order to catch fish—they put their skills, knowledge, and experience into play every time they cast their line. Likewise, righteous and godly living doesn’t come naturally but requires study, commitment, and a lot of practice. In Catch of the Day, Jimmy Houston combines his love of fishing and his love of God in this unique fisherman’s 365-day devotional. 

Each day features:

• a meaningful Scripture
• a daily devotional that incorporates a thought for meditation which applies insights from the art of fishing to daily spiritual growth
• a fishing tip from bassmaster, Jimmy Houston

With colorful interiors and a ribbon marker, Catch of the Day is a great gift for

• birthdays, Father’s Day, and Christmas
• Grandparents Day or as an encouragement boost for an outdoors enthusiast needing a lift

Put into action the characteristics needed to be a great fisherman, and see how they can also make you into a great fisher of men. Anyone who loves God’s creation, combined with the excitement of the catch, will truly enjoy this yearlong guide of spiritual lessons for life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: May 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781400320417

Jimmy Houston

Jimmy Houston, “America’s Favorite Fisherman,” has been fishing on national television since 1977. His fishing show, Jimmy Houston Outdoors, is one of the most widely viewed outdoors shows on the air and is consistently ranked as the #1 outdoors show on ESPN. A huge crowd favorite at bass tournaments and over 100 personal appearances a year, Jimmy represents most of American’s top outdoors related companies, such as Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, and Tracker Boats. In 2017, Jimmy was presented a Bass Pro Shop Angler of the Century award.   Jimmy has written five books, including Hooked for Life, The Reel Line, Catch of the Day, and Caught Me a Big ’Un, which was a #1 selling fishing book. Jimmy has a growing presence on YouTube and Facebook with both his Jimmy Houston Outdoors channel and his Catch of the Day daily devotions channel. He is a deacon at Midway Hill Baptist Church near Sulphur, Oklahoma. Jimmy and his wife of over 57 years live in southern Oklahoma.

Book preview

Title Page with Thomas Nelson logo

© 2005, 2012 by Jimmy Houston

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New Century Version®. © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

J. Countryman is an imprint of Thomas Nelson

ISBN: 978-1-4003-1964-0

ISBN 978-1-4003-2041-7 (eBook)

20 21 22 23 WAI 13 12 11 10

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

Contents

JANUARY

JANUARY 1

JANUARY 2

JANUARY 3

JANUARY 4

JANUARY 5

JANUARY 6

JANUARY 7

JANUARY 8

JANUARY 9

JANUARY 10

JANUARY 11

JANUARY 12

JANUARY 13

JANUARY 14

JANUARY 15

JANUARY 16

JANUARY 17

JANUARY 18

JANUARY 19

JANUARY 20

JANUARY 21

JANUARY 22

JANUARY 23

JANUARY 24

JANUARY 25

JANUARY 26

JANUARY 27

JANUARY 28

JANUARY 29

JANUARY 30

JANUARY 31

FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY 1

FEBRUARY 2

FEBRUARY 3

FEBRUARY 4

FEBRUARY 5

FEBRUARY 6

FEBRUARY 7

FEBRUARY 8

FEBRUARY 9

FEBRUARY 10

FEBRUARY 11

FEBRUARY 12

FEBRUARY 13

FEBRUARY 14

FEBRUARY 15

FEBRUARY 16

FEBRUARY 17

FEBRUARY 18

FEBRUARY 19

FEBRUARY 20

FEBRUARY 21

FEBRUARY 22

FEBRUARY 23

FEBRUARY 24

FEBRUARY 25

FEBRUARY 26

FEBRUARY 27

FEBRUARY 28

MARCH

MARCH 1

MARCH 2

MARCH 3

MARCH 4

MARCH 5

MARCH 6

MARCH 7

MARCH 8

MARCH 9

MARCH 10

MARCH 11

MARCH 12

MARCH 13

MARCH 14

MARCH 15

MARCH 16

MARCH 17

MARCH 18

MARCH 19

MARCH 20

MARCH 21

MARCH 22

MARCH 23

MARCH 24

MARCH 25

MARCH 26

MARCH 27

MARCH 28

MARCH 29

MARCH 30

MARCH 31

APRIL

APRIL 1

APRIL 2

APRIL 3

APRIL 4

APRIL 5

APRIL 6

APRIL 7

APRIL 8

APRIL 9

APRIL 10

APRIL 11

APRIL 12

APRIL 13

APRIL 14

APRIL 15

APRIL 16

APRIL 17

APRIL 18

APRIL 19

APRIL 20

APRIL 21

APRIL 22

APRIL 23

APRIL 24

APRIL 25

APRIL 26

APRIL 27

APRIL 28

APRIL 29

APRIL 30

MAY

MAY 1

MAY 2

MAY 3

MAY 4

MAY 5

MAY 6

MAY 7

MAY 8

MAY 9

MAY 10

MAY 11

MAY 12

MAY 13

MAY 14

MAY 15

MAY 16

MAY 17

MAY 18

MAY 19

MAY 20

MAY 21

MAY 22

MAY 23

MAY 24

MAY 25

MAY 26

MAY 27

MAY 28

MAY 29

MAY 30

MAY 31

JUNE

JUNE 1

JUNE 2

JUNE 3

JUNE 4

JUNE 5

JUNE 6

JUNE 7

JUNE 8

JUNE 9

JUNE 10

JUNE 11

JUNE 12

JUNE 13

JUNE 14

JUNE 15

JUNE 16

JUNE 17

JUNE 18

JUNE 19

JUNE 20

JUNE 21

JUNE 22

JUNE 23

JUNE 24

JUNE 25

JUNE 26

JUNE 27

JUNE 28

JUNE 29

JUNE 30

JULY

JULY 1

JULY 2

JULY 3

JULY 4

JULY 5

JULY 6

JULY 7

JULY 8

JULY 9

JULY 10

JULY 11

JULY 12

JULY 13

JULY 14

JULY 15

JULY 16

JULY 17

JULY 18

JULY 19

JULY 20

JULY 21

JULY 22

JULY 23

JULY 24

JULY 25

JULY 26

JULY 27

JULY 28

JULY 29

JULY 30

JULY 31

AUGUST

AUGUST 1

AUGUST 2

AUGUST 3

AUGUST 4

AUGUST 5

AUGUST 6

AUGUST 7

AUGUST 8

AUGUST 9

AUGUST 10

AUGUST 11

AUGUST 12

AUGUST 13

AUGUST 14

AUGUST 15

AUGUST 16

AUGUST 17

AUGUST 18

AUGUST 19

AUGUST 20

AUGUST 21

AUGUST 22

AUGUST 23

AUGUST 24

AUGUST 25

AUGUST 26

AUGUST 27

AUGUST 28

AUGUST 29

AUGUST 30

AUGUST 31

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 1

SEPTEMBER 2

SEPTEMBER 3

SEPTEMBER 4

SEPTEMBER 5

SEPTEMBER 6

SEPTEMBER 7

SEPTEMBER 8

SEPTEMBER 9

SEPTEMBER 10

SEPTEMBER 11

SEPTEMBER 12

SEPTEMBER 13

SEPTEMBER 14

SEPTEMBER 15

SEPTEMBER 16

SEPTEMBER 17

SEPTEMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 19

SEPTEMBER 20

SEPTEMBER 21

SEPTEMBER 22

SEPTEMBER 23

SEPTEMBER 24

SEPTEMBER 25

SEPTEMBER 26

SEPTEMBER 27

SEPTEMBER 28

SEPTEMBER 29

SEPTEMBER 30

OCTOBER

OCTOBER 1

OCTOBER 2

OCTOBER 3

OCTOBER 4

OCTOBER 5

OCTOBER 6

OCTOBER 7

OCTOBER 8

OCTOBER 9

OCTOBER 10

OCTOBER 11

OCTOBER 12

OCTOBER 13

OCTOBER 14

OCTOBER 15

OCTOBER 16

OCTOBER 17

OCTOBER 18

OCTOBER 19

OCTOBER 20

OCTOBER 21

OCTOBER 22

OCTOBER 23

OCTOBER 24

OCTOBER 25

OCTOBER 26

OCTOBER 27

OCTOBER 28

OCTOBER 29

OCTOBER 30

OCTOBER 31

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER 1

NOVEMBER 2

NOVEMBER 3

NOVEMBER 4

NOVEMBER 5

NOVEMBER 6

NOVEMBER 7

NOVEMBER 8

NOVEMBER 9

NOVEMBER 10

NOVEMBER 11

NOVEMBER 12

NOVEMBER 13

NOVEMBER 14

NOVEMBER 15

NOVEMBER 16

NOVEMBER 17

NOVEMBER 18

NOVEMBER 19

NOVEMBER 20

NOVEMBER 21

NOVEMBER 22

NOVEMBER 23

NOVEMBER 24

NOVEMBER 25

NOVEMBER 26

NOVEMBER 27

NOVEMBER 28

NOVEMBER 29

NOVEMBER 30

DECEMBER

DECEMBER 1

DECEMBER 2

DECEMBER 3

DECEMBER 4

DECEMBER 5

DECEMBER 6

DECEMBER 7

DECEMBER 8

DECEMBER 9

DECEMBER 10

DECEMBER 11

DECEMBER 12

DECEMBER 13

DECEMBER 14

DECEMBER 15

DECEMBER 16

DECEMBER 17

DECEMBER 18

DECEMBER 19

DECEMBER 20

DECEMBER 21

DECEMBER 22

DECEMBER 23

DECEMBER 24

DECEMBER 25

DECEMBER 26

DECEMBER 27

DECEMBER 28

DECEMBER 29

DECEMBER 30

DECEMBER 31

January

J

ANUARY

1

GENESIS 1:1

In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.

I

T’S ALWAYS EXCITING

to begin something new like a new job, new house, new marriage, or a new family. New projects excite and energize me. I’m always excited about beginning a new tournament season where all the fishermen start out again at zero. I can’t wait for the start of Major League Baseball or the first game of Oklahoma University football or basketball.

TIP

Use the cold winter months to clean and organize all your tackle to get ready for that great spring fishin’.

One tradition I started more than thirty-five years ago was to begin each January 1 and read the Bible through in a year. Now, I’ve completely read the Bible through more than thirty times, in addition to my other Bible reading and study. Start your very own tradition today. Five, ten, twenty years from now, you’ll be amazed at what God wants to tell you on a daily basis.

J

ANUARY

2

GENESIS 1:27

So God created human beings in his image.

G

OD COULD

have made us look like anything He wanted. We could have looked like the space aliens we see on Star Trek or Men in Black. We could have looked like frogs, or fish, or anything else God chose. But He chose to pattern us after Himself. We are patterned after God—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are not God, we are not perfect, but we are patterned to be that way.

TIP

Spool on new line at the start of every year and every four to six weeks during fishin’ season.

The next time you have a pity party about how you look or feel, think about what God could have made you look like and how He could have made you feel. Then look in that mirror and smile. Look inside yourself and laugh; God patterned you and me after Himself!

J

ANUARY

3

PROVERBS 10:2

Riches gotten by doing wrong have no value, but right living will save you from death.

F

ISHING TOURNAMENTS

have brought out the very best and very worst in fishermen. While tournaments are incredibly fair and honest, cheating does creep in sometimes. Blatant cheating is usually discovered quickly, and cheaters are disqualified, generally banned for life. Unintentional rule breaking is punished by penalties, such as a weight penalty or loss of your catch for that day.

TIP

Bass are not very aggressive in cold water. Use slow-moving baits and be patient.

The most damaging cheaters are the ones who bend the rules for their own benefit and ill-gotten gain. These anglers are bending or breaking the rules with almost no chance of ever being caught. But those gains will never last. Opportunities for ill-gotten gain come into our lives all the time. While we may never be caught, our very life may depend on how we handle these temptations to cheat.

J

ANUARY

4

LUKE 12:34

Your heart will be where your treasure is.

E

VERY FISHERMAN

has a favorite bait. For me, it’s a Booyah spinnerbait for bass and a Road Runner for crappie. Single baits, but within each bait category is a wide variety of colors, sizes, and even different types of materials. I treasure these baits because I can have success in just about every situation.

TIP

Slow rolling a white spinnerbait with a large Oklahoma blade works great for lethargic wintertime bass.

If our treasure is Jesus, we have a God we can rely on in all of life’s situations. If our thoughts are on Jesus, we become a better friend, coworker, husband, or wife. We also become more a likable, friendlier person even to strangers!

J

ANUARY

5

PSALM 31:24

All you who put your hope in the L

ORD

be strong and brave.

B

ETTER FISHERMEN

do not hope for success or rely on luck in order to catch fish. They pin their hopes on facts, skills, knowledge, and experience. The more of these we have, the more fish we catch and the more consistent we become.

TIP

Pork trailers on jigs and spinnerbaits work better than soft plastics in cold water.

Similarly, the more we know and experience about Jesus, the better we will be at becoming the kind of person we want to be and God wants us to be. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to become a great fisherman. So be strong; it also takes time for God to mold us into the person we will become. The great part is that God allows us the opportunity to become better every day we stay close to Him.

J

ANUARY

6

MATTHEW 28:20

I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.

F

ISHING IS A SPORT

most enjoyed with someone else. Sure, we can fish alone and have fun, but it is always more enjoyable with a friend or another member of your family. My closest fishin’ partner is my wife, Chris. My most memorable days fishin’ are not great tournament victories, but days spent with her or fishin’ with my kids or grandkids.

TIP

Vertical jig your Road Runners during the winter months to catch more crappie.

God never intended for us to be alone. That’s why He sent Jesus. That is why when we are saved, God places His Holy Spirit in us. No matter how isolated or alone we may feel at times, Jesus is always there. All we need to do is call on Him.

J

ANUARY

7

PROVERBS 10:22

The L

ORD

’s blessing brings wealth, and no sorrow comes with it.

T

HE OTHER DAY

, I asked a guy in another boat, I wonder what the poor people are doing today? He answered, They’re fishing.

Fishing is one of those blessings from God that makes us rich, no matter what our bank account says. Too often, though, we dwell on the sorrows the devil throws at us rather than the blessings we have. This is exactly what the devil wants; he’s working to ruin our day and our life.

TIP

Lighter line is more manageable in cold conditions and will get you more bites.

As Christians and children of God, we cannot accept that. Today, write down ten or fifteen of the blessings God has placed in your life. Before you get halfway done, the devil will be hard-pressed to have a chance to ruin your day. By the way, this little trick will work again tomorrow.

J

ANUARY

8

PSALM 86:5

L

ORD

, you are kind and forgiving and have great love for those who call to you.

F

ISHERMEN

since the beginning of time have been asking for help and advice on how to catch more fish. Jesus told Peter where to cast his net, and some of us today make our living telling others how to become better fishermen. I know people who have driven hundreds of miles to listen to a top tournament pro give a seminar. They do this just to be more successful on the water.

TIP

Standing treetops often hold bass in clear water lakes throughout the winter months.

God is the ultimate expert, and He is ready and willing to answer our questions and to come to our aid. All we need to do is ask. But somehow—out of macho-ness, lack of faith, or whatever—we’ll not come to God and ask until it’s the last resort. But if we’ll get God involved in today’s problems and concerns right now, we’ll likely not need to use God as the last resort tomorrow.

J

ANUARY

9

2 TIMOTHY 3:16

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right.

W

E’RE ALLOWED

three days to practice for a BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) tournament. Most competitors will tell you this is the time to locate the fish and to figure out what lures and tactics will work best in order to have success during the actual competition. Just as important, however, is learning the places where you cannot catch fish and what baits won’t work!

TIP

Fish where muddy water and clear water are mixing together.

When God’s Word (the Bible) is read and spoken (preached), it lays out what God will do for us. It also directly focuses on problem areas in our lives. Open the Bible anywhere and start reading, God will soon tell you about changes you need to make to improve your life, and then He’ll help you make those changes. God loves us so much, He wants to make us better every day.

J

ANUARY

10

PSALM 14:2

The L

ORD

looked down from heaven on all people.

W

E WEAR POLARIZED

sunglasses when fishing in order to be able to see down into the water. Polarization removes the glare from the surface and allows us to see a foot or two or even more into clear water. This is helpful. We can see stumps, rocks, logs, and other hiding places for the fish. We sometimes can even see the fish!

TIP

Remember to visit a heated fishing dock for a very comfortable wintertime crappie outing.

It’s pretty awesome that God can see us all and yet focus on each of us individually. How would we treat our family, friends, or even perfect strangers if we knew God was there looking over our shoulders? Well, He is! Keep this in mind today when someone messes up your order at the drive-through, disappoints you, or cuts you off in traffic. Live today trying to please God . . . you just might do it!

J

ANUARY

11

2 THESSALONIANS 1:11

That is why we always pray for you, asking our God to help you live the kind of life he called you to live.

C

OMPETITION BREEDS PRAYER

. I believe almost all tournament fishermen pray, even the non-Christians. Most of the time, when we pray, we’re praying for our own glory. We’re asking God to do something special, something supernatural for us.

TIP

Steeper banks will yield more fish during the cold winter months.

Today, direct your energy into praying for someone else. Lift up your family, friends, pastor, and coworkers. Pray for that person at the drive-through window and even for your enemies or someone who has done you wrong. It’s pretty difficult for me to pray for someone who has wronged me, but when I do, God creates some peace in my heart where before there was pain. Dedicate your prayers today to others, and your God will receive the glory.

J

ANUARY

12

EXODUS 20:3

You must not have any other gods except me.

F

OR MANY PEOPLE

, their passion about something becomes their religion. Fishing is one of those passions that can become almost a religious experience.

TIP

A shad die-off in extremely cold weather will trigger good bass fishing.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone talk about getting closer to God on the lake. Others tell me they can worship God better on the lake on Sunday than in church with a bunch of Christians who might be hypocrites. But when we do this, we’re not worshiping God at all. We’re making fishing our god. At the very least, we’re guilty of worshiping God’s creation. This is really the same as worshiping the moon or the stars. God commands us to assemble to worship Him and Him only!

J

ANUARY

13

JAMES 1:12

When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever.

"W

HY ME

, L

ORD

? How often have we all uttered these words in times of struggle or testing? I wonder sometimes on the lake how many things can go wrong. If this is a test, Lord, I’d rather take a written one!" We can either react to these trials with frustration, anger, and even foul language, or we can react with patience. God promises to bless us when we patiently endure.

TIP

Check the diameter of your fishing line. Different lines have different diameters, even in the same pound tests.

A day of fishing is seldom perfect, just like a day doing anything else is seldom perfect. How we handle those breakdowns, or tests, is what is important. We can be patient and be blessed, or we can blow it—and what does that really accomplish anyway?

J

ANUARY

14

PSALM 33:7

He gathered the water of the sea into a heap. He made the great ocean stay in its place.

L

AKESIDE VIEWS

. Desktop fountains. Backyard ponds. Water captivates us all, and it is, of course, even more important to fishermen. We really can’ help but have a love affair with