I've been down here in Florida for a couple of days prefishing on the Harris Chain with my buddy Tom Frederick. We're really having a wonderful time catching up and catching a few fish. The good news is that there are tons of big fish up on beds in the Harris Chain right now, but the bad news is that our tournament isn't for another month!
So, by the time the tournament rolls around, a lot of these fish will be done spawning. But, I tell you, it is addictive looking at these fish. It's hard to pull yourself out of these backwaters where they're spawning really good because you can see so many good fish.
While looking at them won't do me any good for the tournament, knowing which areas have big fish in them will help come March. I'll have to retrace the process of them moving in to spawn to see where they're going to be when they're postspawn.
At least I'm figuring out which lakes and which parts of which lakes have the best concentrations of fish. I've also spent some time fishing offshore since I've been here.
The picture of me holding a 4-pounder came from an offshore location. She was prespawn, so I think that area will be a good postspawn spot, too. The weather down here right now is as close to perfect as you can get. The highs are in the mid 70s with light winds, but the bad news is that we're expecting a sleet and ice storm back home in Waco. I guess I'll get home just in time to wish I were in sunny Florida. Oh, well.
One thing that this trip has done for me is get my competitive juices flowing again. I'm ready for the season to start. I can only handle so much "offseason." This prefishing has really piqued my anticipation for the season. I don't think that I've ever been as ready for a season to start as I am this year. I want to get back out on the road and swinging on some fish!
Oh, here's something else that's nifty. I'm now on Twitter. I'd like to invite everybody who is also on Twitter to follow me @JonesProFishing. I'll try to update things daily, and I'd love to have you all follow me there to stay in touch.
When I get home Wednesday night, we're going to a Lady Bears basketball game (still No. 1 in the nation). We Joneses are having a great time following the Lady Bears on the hardwood.
I almost forgot to update you all about speaking at the First Baptist Church in Killeen, Texas. I took Sandy my dog, with me for a little demonstration in obedience. Sometimes we need a visual reference to understand truths, and dogs seem to make lessons easier to learn.
I'll lay Sandy on the floor and put a piece of cheese in front of her nose. She loves cheese more than anything in the world. I'll tell her "no," and she really wants to eat the cheese, but as long as her eyes are on me — her master — she won't eat it. However, if she gazes at the cheese for too long, she'll eat it.
The point I'm trying to illustrate is that men can be the same way. If we take our eyes off our Master — Jesus Christ — too long, we easily stray. The only way for us to avoid temptation is to keep our eyes on Christ and live the way that He wants us to live.