MEET DUG:

We didn't catch "THE DUG," the trophy catfish we've been chasing for years.

But another Cervicko Catfish came aboard the USS Sassy! 

(If you're new to TightLine and wondering, "What's a Cervicko Catfish?" Scroll down the right-hand side of the blog and type CERVICKO into the search bar. It's a TightLine story worth the read!)  

The World Cup reminds us that championships aren't won on one spectacular goal, they're won by working good defense, offense, and staying in the match until your opportunity comes. Catfishing is no different. You don't need THE DUG of a lifetime on every cast. You just need to be ready when your Tightline moment arrives.

This big beautiful Blue Cat tipped the scales at 25.7 pounds and was caught on Lake Waco near the mouth of the North Bosque River. 

We were fishing in just 11 feet of 81 degree water using secret bait - Hot Dogs.

Just before we released the big Blue... 

 Dazy and I are still working on the official TightLine "Cervicko Release" Song for all catfish over 15 pounds. It's a work in progress, but every big catfish deserves a proper send-off... including the traditional goodbye sloppy kiss from Co-Captain Rick before release!

Got a lyric, a chorus, or a title? We'd love your suggestions. If your idea makes the final cut, we'll give you full TightLine bragging rights!

And here's Rick holding one of our "average-sized" keepers. 

At 1½ to 2 pounds, these are perfect for TightLine Catering.

Not every trip produces "THE DUG," but any day that includes a 25+ pound Blue Cat, a Happy Dazy, and a non-grouchy Rick is a rare and wonderful thing on Lake Waco. 

Pull Up a Chair

Before I get to today's topic, happy anniversary to my daughter, Ashley, and son-in-law, Nick.

A few days ago, (Ash & Nick's daughter) my granddaughter, Addelyn, said something that stopped me in my tracks. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

We were eating lunch and talking about all kinds of things, including school, summer trips, and Ai. We laughed about the pictures Ai can create,  older versions of us, future versions of us, Kpa bald, Kpa w/pink hair...  things that haven't happened yet AND look a little too real for 'Mi' generation.

Then she said something that stopped me cold.

Something more real than anything Ai could ever create.

The conversation had turned to her youth group. She told me that after the meetings are over, she sometimes goes into the sanctuary alone. Before she prays, she pulls a chair out and places it in front of her.

I asked, "why pull a chair out..."

She looked at me as if I should already know the answer.

"That's where Jesus sits when we talk."

In that instant, she reminded me of something Ai will never create.

Faith. Simple faith, something many of us spend our lives trying to find again.

Making room for Jesus. Having a simple conversation.

No perfect words or complicated theology. Just presence. Just trust.

Just a chair, a quiet moment, and Someone to talk to.

Tightline -kev

P.S. The picture below may be Ai's guess about my future. Addy's chair reminds me Who actually holds it.

I AM LEARNING Ai - this is a picture of an old TightLine catfish and Fisherman (in the future...)!

Distant Uncle Walt W. once said: 

“Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour. Right now!” Our Doodle-Dog Dazy captures this quote perfectly... I think she's a "Life Coach!" 

A TightLine Thing: Dazy Doesn't Miss Minutes

She lives the TightLine Montra!  Never overthinking. Dazy sunbathes like she’s on an all‑inclusive USS Sassy cruise! She does not miss minutes... she greets me after fifteen minutes like I’ve returned from officiating a week-long level 6 tournament in Laredo with Mrs. T.

Dazy nappin on the USS Sassy

She doesn’t save the good stuff for later.

She naps when she wants to.

She doesn’t wait for the “right time” to be happy.

                                            Dazy letting us know - this is the catfish spot!

     

Captains - Rick and Little Wilder at the helm!

Meanwhile, we TightLine Catfisherman rush, worry, and promise ourselves we’ll finally relax when life “calms down.” Spoiler: the waves keep coming!

Dazy walks the same block every day and still finds adventure. She doesn’t need a better me (thank goodness), a better yard, or anything better. She’s all‑in on the TightLine life she                                      already has.                                 

                                                    

                                                 Just along for the adventure 

Maybe that’s the lesson.

Maybe nothing needs upgrading.

Maisie and Dazy

One day she won’t be waiting at the door. But the memories will be, and they’ll still be teaching the same thing she’s been trying to show me all along:

Enjoy your life now.

Because the clock isn’t waiting.

And honestly, the more I watch Dazy, the more convinced I am that she’s the smartest one on the boat.

“There’s no such thing as too much catfish… only too few friends to feed.”

That quote came from one of the volunteers, and it was especially true this week.

We had the honor of serving TightLine Catfish to our friends at Church Under the Bridge, and it was one of those mornings that remind you why our TightLine ministry exists in the first place. Our Family showed up. Friends showed up. Folks grabbed NEW monogrammed aprons provided by my friend Bill, stirred pots, carried trays, and jumped in wherever hands were needed.

And then the line started forming...

Before we knew it, we’d served close to 150 plates, that's 150 stories, 150 smiles, 150 reminders that a simple TightLine catfish meal can do more than fill a stomach. It can lift a spirit. It can slow someone’s day down just long enough for them to feel seen. It can turn a huge parking lot under I35 and 4th Str in Waco, Texas, into a place of fellowship.

We came to serve, but, as always, we left blessed.

Because that’s the TightLine way:
Feed people. Love people. Show up.
And trust that God will take a plate of catfish and turn it into something bigger than food.

Special Thanks to: John, Donna, Liz, Kyle, Megan, Bill, Sherly, Cindy, Wilder, LitWilder, Kamron, Canden, JJ, Elaine (great beans!), and of course - Co-Captain Rick and daBoss - Leni!

TEXAS PARASPORTS GAMES - San Antonio

This is a quick shout-out to the PARA Games Athletes, volunteer Tennis Officials, Ball People, and our Adapted Leader!

Para Games of Texas! You could feel it the moment you stepped onto the Morgans Wonderland tennis courts. Perfect weather - cloudy and breezy from time to time. The sound of wheels cutting across the tennis court surface.

Volunteers came to serve. Simple as that. Barry and Becki W., Mary R., Sheryl S., Rose L., Ruth S., and San Antonio's Cornerstone High School team! They weren’t chasing applause. They were giving their time to athletes who give everything they have to this sport. It’s important to note that this kind of service sits at the center of TightLine. Showing up. Lifting others. Doing the work that lets someone else shine.

Cindy and my granddaughter - Charli! 

A BIG shout‑out to Cindy Benzon (some say shes my sister from another set of parents). Not sure about that because her organizational skills are top-notch. Mine - not-so-much! She has a way of turning chaos into order - especially when im involved. Adapted players across America LOVE HER and her dedication!!! 

My cousin Albert E used to say, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” This weekend, all of our Volunteers lived that out.

And the athletes. Watching any level of WheelChair or ParaStanding player, and you’ll see determination in motion. Our standing adaptive players fight through long points with balance and joy. Competing for the love of the game and MANY friendship connections.

This event was a snapshot of what TightLine believes in. Service. Dignity. Fellowship. My mom and dad taught (my sister Kim and i) early to remember that we’re called to give back. To listen. To be present. To be of value.

To ALL of the volunteers (including my 'Official' Friends), THANK YOU!
To the athletes, we’re ALWAYS better for having watched you play.
And to Cindy, thank you for steering the ship.

See you at the next one, Special Olympics Melissa TX May 1-2 ... COME VOLUNTEER!!!!!!  

ANOTHER TENNIS STORY ON THE TIGHTLINE CATFISHING ADVENTURE SITE!!!!

(To my loyal "catfish only" crowd, give me a minute while I sneak in a little TX tennis passion.)

We just wrapped four days of TAPPS State Tennis Championships, and I’m convinced Texas and TAPPS grows some of the highest‑character kids on the planet (all 650+ of them)!!!

ALL LEVELS:
From the kid who’s still learning that "love" doesn’t mean a hug…
to the one who walks on court like their Baylor scholarship is pending approval. We have some REALLY awesome players and ALL of them are INCREDIBLE PEOPLE!!!

   

Kudos to our outstanding Officials who fielded questions like:
“Wait… we play to 4 points but also 7 points but also 10 points?”
“Do I switch sides now? How about now? Now?”
“What is a match tiebreaker?”
and the classic…
“When will the courts be dry?” (asked approximately every 14 seconds while it was STILL raining).

  
THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HELPED PUSHED WATER (Parents, Players, Coaches, TAPPS Staff!

YES, we had multiple rain delays, restarts, wet courts, impromtu squeegee training sessions, and more problem‑solving than my brother Les Bessellieu covering 10 courts with a dying walkie‑talkie and many very confident coaches. And through it all, the officials stayed steady, calm, patient, and somehow still laughed at mine and Ed Price’s stories, most of which Audie has heard more times than he’ll admit.

Somewhere in the middle of all that motion, kids sprinting, parents pacing, nervous coaches, tennis officials sweating through their polos, a TightLine truth floated to the surface while I was sitting at the tournament desk talking with my little brother Bryan Bunselmeyer (Director/GURU of TAPPS).
The same truth I’ve learned a hundred times sitting in the boat waiting on a catfish that refuses to be rushed:

It’s not a race.
You are not ahead.
You are not behind.
You are here.
ENJOY what God has given you.

And that’s the part most people miss:

The kids who lost early but learned something important.
The officials who squeegeed so many times their smartwatches thought they were training for a marathon.
The parent who finally unclenched after a third‑set tiebreak that aged them a few years.
The freshman getting their first taste of TAPPS State Tennis, eyes as big as the huge TAPPS inflatable tennis ball.

And the seniors… And the seniors… the ones I’ve watched grow up… taking that last walk off a TAPPS court, trying to keep it together while the rest of us quietly feel the weight of it.

And of course - the coach who realized the moment mattered more than the medal (Delaney).

                                       

Nobody was ahead.
Nobody was behind.
We were all just here, in the middle of a great TAPPS Tennis Championship that was messy, meaningful, unpredictable, and absolutely worth it… the kind of moment you know God’s fingerprints are all over.

Just like TightLine Catfishing:
You can’t rush the bite.
You can’t force the moment.
You just show up, stay patient, and let the good stuff happen when it’s ready.

So wherever you are today, on a court, golf course, on a dock, walking the dog, or just catching your breath after a long week:

You’re here.
Enjoy it.
Make the most of it.

That’s TightLine.