The phrase “fish story” is a synonym for lying. After all, it’s not uncommon for a fisherman to embellish the size of a fish caught. And most of the time, such exaggerations are harmless. But when there is big money involved, such deception will make people reel angry (get it, “reel?” As in fishing pole?)
That’s what happened on September 20, 2022, on the shores of Cleveland, Ohio. It was the site of the Lake Erie Walleye Championship. And the participants are not your typical weekend anglers – they are some serious fisherman (and fisherwomen.) And they are fishing for more than compliments. This is a pretty serious sport where some pretty serious money will be awarded to whoever can reel in the biggest fish. That means participants have some serious incentive to win - and some serious incentive to cheat. So serious, in fact, that the winners undergo a polygraph test, administered by a retired police detective.
On the competitive fishing circuit, Chase Cominsky and Jacob Runyan were on quite a streak. They had become the proverbial big fish in a small pond. The fishing duo kept winning tournament after tournament – where prizes ranged from expensive boats to thousands of dollars in cash. Going into the big Lake Erie Walleye Championship, Runyan and Cominsky had already taken in more than $400,000 in prize money and endorsements, along with a $150,000 Warrior fishing boat.
But that weekend, the two were embroiled in a scandal that seemed quite fishy. Cominksy and Runyon devised a crafty plan, and they assumed that the tournament officials would fall for it hook, line, and sinker. The two fishing buddies were involved in a bait and switch scheme. Literally.
As the 30 elite two-angler teams came to shore, each of them presented their five largest fish to the Tournament Director, Jason Fischer (yes, that is his real name.) He would place the fish on a scale and weigh the catch of each team.
Late in the day, the fishermen of boat No. 12, Chase Cominsky and Jake Runyan, brought their five-fish catch up for weighing. They needed to beat 16.89 total pounds to claim the $30,000 prize money.
Their catch’s weight: 33.91 pounds.
The silence that greeted Fischer’s announcement was the first sign that something was very much amiss. No applause, no cheers, just silence. And then the muttering started.
Jason Fischer, the Tournament Director, smelled something fishy.
After all, he had spent his entire life around walleye – a type of fish – and each of the fish looked like they weighed no more than four pounds. He knew that the five fish he was looking at should weigh somewhere between 15 to 20 pounds, certainly not more than 30!
As Runyan and Cominsky celebrated and posed for pictures with their fish, Fischer decided to take a closer look. As he knelt down beside one of the fish, he took out a fillet knife, and slit open the belly of the fish. He reached his finger in and pulled out a 12-ounce lead weight. Sure enough, the other fish also were full of the lead weights, making them much heavier than they really were.
“We’ve got weights in fish!” he shouted.
As Runyan and Cominsky floundered (get it) the murmuring crowd quickly evolved into an angry mob. The two fishermen couldn’t scale back their crime, and they quickly left the scene.
They were disqualified from the tournament. But there were bigger fish to fry.
After an investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, local prosecutors arrested the two men. Eventually, Cominsky and Runyen plead guilty to fifth-degree felony charge. Because of their unscrupulous fishing tactics, the two were sentenced to 10 days in jail (brining new meaning to the term “jailbait.”) They were each forced to pay a fine of $2,500 and their fishing licenses were suspended for three years. And because of an obscure Ohio law, the two had to forfeit the $150,000 boat they used when committing their crimes.
Holy mackerel.
At the start of his public ministry, Jesus approached a duo of fishermen when he was walking along the Sea of Galilee. They were in the act of throwing their fishing nets into the water.
The Gospel of Mark describes it this way: “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:16–18).
Jesus has an uncanny way of meeting people where they are, and he speaks to them in a way they can understand. He knew that these two did not have a formal education and probably wouldn’t understand academic phrases. They didn’t go to the temple often, so they wouldn’t be familiar with expressions used by the religious leaders.
They were two seemingly ordinary fishermen, doing their regular everyday jobs when Jesus, using an analogy they would have understood, came to them and called them to follow him.
This tells me that, no matter your background, education, career path, or religious pedigree, Jesus is calling you to follow him.
Simon and Andrew left their family and career to spend three years with Jesus. Jesus may not be calling you to do the same. But He does have something in store for you. You were saved from something, and you were saved for something. Perhaps it’s serving in our Children’s Ministry or taking part in our local SWATeam mission projects. Maybe it’s devoting yourself to a Bible study. Maybe Jesus is calling you to invite that friend or neighbor or family member to church.
Yeah, there are plenty of fish in the sea. But Jesus is specially calling you. Maybe He is calling you to step out on faith, and you’ll feel like a fish out of water.
But Jesus is calling you. Will you fish or cut bait?
Joe
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