Bill Crawford – Kayak Fishing – Thibodaux Rotary Club
May 21, 2013
By: Kevin Gros
On May 15th the Club was visited by Bill Crawford to talk about one of his passions, kayak fishing.
Bill is a Louisiana native and grew up fishing the Pontchartrain basin. In recent years he has fished professionally placing in numerous kayak association fishing tournaments and was recently runner up for the association angler of the year contest. Additionally, Bill guides kayak fishing trips in our area. He is Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux and the President of the Board of Trustees of the Bayou Community Academy, and resides here with his wife and three children.
The purpose of Bill’s visit today is two-fold; the first, to introduce us to the sport of kayak fishing, which is one of the fastest growing sports in America and secondly talk about the spiritual adventure of being in nature with God.
A spiritual adventure is an activity that gets us out into nature to see what God 
is up to. It nurtures our inner fire and challenges our creativity and thirst for knowledge. Bill reminded us of how important it is to reserve time in our busy lives to recharge our batteries, and talked at length of the emotional, physical and spiritual health benefits of kayak fishing. As many people depend on us we need to be at our best. A hobby like fishing helps us get there.
Fishing is a huge sport in our country with an estimated 16% of our population participating. The number is surely much higher here. Increasing numbers of Americans are Kayak fishing. Here in Louisiana an association of anglers formed the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club to foster the growth of the sport and increase the positive impacts of kayak fishing in our area.
The club’s signature event, Paddlepalooza, in Leeville attracted almost three hundred anglers from nine states, and has made an important economic contribution to our area. Presently the club sponsors eight events in Louisiana, with other associations beginning to sponsor similar events. The sport is an opportunity for our state to capitalize on a growing industry and with at least one event per month throughout the year the economic impact is significant.
Why should we consider kayak fishing? It’s fun. Fellowship. Inexpensive. Exercise. Emotional health. Spiritual health.
If anyone would like to contact Bill for more information or to arrange a guided trip, please email him at revredfish@gmail.com or his website www.revredfish.com.
More information about the sport may be found at the website of The Bayou Cost Kayak Fishing Club, www.bckfc.com.
Thanks Bill for an introduction to the sport of kayak fishing and for reminding us of the importance of having a spiritual adventure. Many of us will surely be giving it a try soon!
The Kinder Rotary Club Annual Golf Tournament
The Kinder Rotary Club is once again hosting its annual Golf Tournament on Saturday, November 19, at the Oberlin Country Club. The funds generated from this golf tournament provide funding for scholarships and other community projects during the year.
The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. Entry fee is $300 per team. Team includes cart, green fee, lunch and 2 mulligans. Eighteen hole 3 man scramble, flight by blind draw. There will prizes for the flight finishers. Prizes will also be awarded for the longest drive and the shot closest to the hole.
If interested, please contact O. Kent Andrews, Tournament Chairman, 3751 Lauderdale Woodyard Road, Kinder, LA 70648 or phone 337-275-0334.
Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis with the front office of the New Orleans Saints Organization. He was an enthusiastic speaker particularly working with kids. His big personal goal is for what he is able to do with keeping children on the straight and narrow.
He wants to motivate them to be positive productive citizens. Teaching them to do the right thing and stay out of trouble. He shows them there is a better way than the way of drugs or crime.
He did not play college football, but went on to set records as a running back with the New Orleans Saints. He still holds Saints and NFL records to date. It was not easy to be a walk on with an NFL team. Michael had to work hard and gave up a lot to make his dream a reality. He quit his job as a beer truck driver to play indoor football. It was a big commitment in time, effort and money, or the lack of money. His dream was bigger and his commitment to his goal greater than anything else. After he proved himself as an asset to the Saints, he had gained the nickname as “The Beerman”. Which he did not realize that until he heard an announcer call him The Beerman on the TV. He said ”Wait, that is me, who is he talking about”. Which got a chuckle from the club.
He feels that the story he has to tell is for the kids to have a dream or a goal regardless of how unlikely the goal seems to be.
