Fishing’s Finest Hour
Waxahachie NOW Magazine
July 2009
By Sandra McIntosh
Reggie
Stewart started fishing at the age of 5. His memories of going out on the area
lake with his father are vivid, and will most likely never fade. “The time I
spent as a boy fishing with my dad was quality time,” Reggi commented. “He
started the fire in my heart, and it’s grown over the years. I just love to
fish.”
While his
father, Neely Stewart, got the passion started at a young age, Reggi’s brother,
Tommy Stewart, introduced him to the sport of competitive bass fishing in the
early ’80s. “I became a true angler in 1980,” Reggi said. “That’s when I got
heavily involved in tournament bass fishing.” When Reggi started in the
competitive circuit, he did not leave his father behind. “I got him into bass
fishing, too,” he said.
Just like in
any other sport, preparation is very important. Fishing outside competitions
during the week
In fact,
Reggi fished with his dad and his dad’s cousin one day a week for an entire year
before his father was diagnosed with cancer. The recovery time following his
dad’s surgery was lengthy, but it did not keep the father and son team from
sharing one more day trip to Richland Chambers Creek in Navarro County. “We both
caught lots of fish that day,” Reggi said, with the emotion that comes from fond
Fishing to
some is as simple as putting a worm on a hook and casting their line into the
backyard pond. For others, it is all about the notoriety the sport of
competitive bass fishing can provide every weekend if the angler desires to be
gone from his family that often. Before his father’s illness, Reggi used to fall
into the latter category of fishermen. Looking back now, Reggi recalls the
weekends spent away from
Changes in
the way Reggi fished came almost immediately after his father’s untimely
passing. Brother Gary Morgan of the Cowboy Church of Ellis County handled his
father’s service. “I was so touched by his words,” Reggi confessed, “that I was
in attendance at the Cowboy Church the very next Sunday.”
Not long
after that first visit, Reggi attended a leadership meeting where the idea of
the Bass Club Ministry was born. If Reggi leaves for a weekend of fishing these
days, you can be sure that he will have his wife, Teri, in the cab of the truck
beside him. In the past five years, his view on fishing has taken
Life for
Reggi did not get exciting until the Bass Club Ministry got started. The group
is comprised of no fewer than 200 members. Fifty percent are active members of
the Cowboy Church. Another 30 percent are members of other churches in the Ellis
County area and the remaining 20 percent do not
Reggie
enjoys sharing tales from the group’s monthly trips, but he gives extra credit
to his wife. “Teri makes me look good. She’s always at the boat ramp at 4:30 in
the morning to get all those fishing signed up,” he said, further explaining
that Teri takes care of all the paperwork involved in these club tournaments.
“All participants are required to attend prayer at 5:30 a.m. and then they begin
fishing from 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All the fish caught are weighed by 4:00.” At
the end of the tournament, before payments are handed out to the winners, Reggi
will come out of his angler comfort zone
In the
coming months, Teri has scheduled four fishing events that will be held at Cedar
Hill State Park. The booths that will be set up will teach something different
about the sport of fishing. These events promise to be educational and
enlightening, as well as fun. Even though he is very busy leading his church
ministry, Reggi still finds time to go out on the lake by himself every once in
a while. “The time in the early morning when everything around you is waking up
is the best time,” Reggi claimed. “It’s God’s finest hour.”
http://nowmagazines.com/onlineeditions/editions/709waxahachie.pdf
On the
Cover: Angler Reggi
Photo by Terri Ozymy.
