Fishing for fulfillment

“You’re hittin for the cycle,” said Beau, drawing baseball parallels to the multitude of species I’d caught during a rain-soaked autumn Sunday, perfect for chasin’ my beloved smallmouth.

Beau has lived in Bixby, Okla., most of his life, but he had a relative who played briefly with Roberto Clemente and my hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, so the baseball reference fit nicely. Except that we’d caught everything but the smallmouth we were targeting on a day when I just swore they’d be chewin.

Instead, it was numerous walleye, a flathead catfish, green sunfish, freshwater drum and a handful of young largemouth bass that filled the batting order of our misty lineup card.

Beau finally caught a keeper-sized smallmouth late in the afternoon as a fitting tune from the Eli Young Band filled the soggy 64-degree air.

I never did catch a sizeable smallie. And yesterday – that was okay. Thanks to Beau’s rare and generous heart, I’d caught a boatload of soulful fulfillment before we ever backed the boat down the ramp.

He showed up at my house Sunday morning with gifts. He has a habit of doing that before we go fishing. This time, a beer-can koozie from Chesney’s 2016 “Spread the Love” tour – and a very rare, antique piece of fishing tackle. A glass minnow trap made by the Shakespeare Company in Kalamazoo, Mich.

I’d never seen one. And when our best on-the-water iPhone Internet research revealed that it’s likely 75 years old, I became a jumbled mix of speechless humility and babbling gratefulness.

Beau’s mom recently acquired it and gave it to him. He could have kept it for himself. He loves to fish. It’s a gift from his mom. And it’s worth about 14 times more than the modern day cheap wire or plastic version like I submerged in many Penn-Ohio waters as a kid.

Instead, Beau chose to give the rare 1940s era piece of fishing tackle to me. It’ll be prominently displayed in my rustic home to provide a constant reminder of an egoless soul who gives gifts and his friendship in rare fashion, much like Clemente himself.

“I don’t care about politics or the hypocrites on my TV. I’m not mad at the girl who left because she couldn’t be with me. So make up your theories about the scandals and the lies. Start out depressed, then everything comes as a pleasant surprise. When It Rains, I don’t mind being lonely, I cry right along with the sky.” – Eli Young Band, the song “When it Rains.” (2008)