God’s Fishermen

Researchers studying walleye vision found that orange is the color most visible to walleyes, followed by yellow and yellow green. Surprisingly, red is the least visible color. No wonder you find so many orange and chartreuse lures in the tackle boxes of savvy walleye anglers. Another interesting fact about walleye fish is that a sudden decrease in light level triggers them to bite. That explains why the fish usually turn on just as the sun is disappearing below the horizon and the light intensity is rapidly decreasing. It also accounts for the biting that starts when the dark clouds preceding a thunderstorm roll in.

The very best time to catch a trophy walleye is five to seven weeks after the fish have completed spawning. That’s when the big females, famished after not having eaten for nearly two months, go on the prowl for food. And with the natural supply of baitfish at its annual low, they’re likely to hit almost anything you throw at them.

Maybe you can’t think of anything more boring than fishing, but many of Jesus’ first disciples were fishermen. The first time they heard Jesus, He asked them to push their boats out into the lake and let down their nets. Inside they laughed, “What does He know about fishing? You don’t catch much fish in the daytime!” But they agreed to do it anyway. “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking” (Luke 5:6).

Peter appropriately responded to the amazing catch of fish. “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’” (v. 8). Jesus replied, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men” (v. 10). The proud fisherman was not ready to serve the Master fisherman until he was humbled. We are best prepared to go fishing when we recognize our limitations and listen to the Creator of fish and men.

Key Bible Texts

And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. (Luke 5:11 KJV)