– Prayer of Rainy Lake –
Our father who art on Rainy Lake
Hallowed be thy fisherman
Thy awesome fish shall come
Thy clear waters will be done
On Rainy Lake as it is in Heaven
Give us this day a 20 pound bag
And forgive us for poor jigging
As we will not disrespect our fellow fishermen
And lead us not into being skunked and keep us from unforeseen humps
This we ask you our heavenly God of the angler
In the name of the rod, the bait and the holy lure
Amen
– Please, oh please –
Let the winds be steady
and let the sun shine bright
Let the smallmouth’s bite be ready
yet no Northerns, because they bite
Keep me healthy
so I may fish
Keep the population wealthy
– this is my wish
Keep the spawning
from being late
My tackle box expanding
with lures and bait
Give my lovely wife
the patience of many
For this is my life
though it may take my every penny
Oh, how I love
this sport that will always grow
A gift from above
that has many highs and many lows
Please, oh please, hear our cry
oh great and beautiful lake
To you we prey till we die
with hands clenched and hearts in constant ache
– Queen of the Lake –
Queen of the Lake, full of grace
Our smallmouth bass fish are with thee
Blessed are you amongst the bucketmouth
And blessed are the fishing beds of thy lake floor
Holy queen of the lake, mother of perch
Pray for us anglers
Now and at the hour of our casting
Amen
– The Creed –
I believe in the artificial lure, and the balao
Creator of the bait bucket and the bell sinker
I believe in catch-and-release, the code of the lake and the circle hook
I was conceived by the Great Lakes and the power of the jerk-bait
I have been plagued by the skunk
And have been a victim of the backlash
I have descended with the bottom rig to the depths of the snapper
And have perfected the Adam’s Special
I have been bitten by a Northern
Have a had a largemouth tease me from below
I am too poor for a bass boat
And too big for a rubber dingy
I believe in the power of the bucktail and the cinch knot
I believe in the coffee grinder and the cane pole
I am a master of my fly tying
But am still weak with my jigging
I ask you for strength with my leading
And direct my line to the King Mackerel
In this I ask you my Lord
Amen
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Comments? Suggestions? Bible-study hours? E-mail me at emoutsatsos@fortfrances.com