I would like to start this off by saying that this guide trip was one of the best fishing trips that I have had as a guide; both catching fish and spiritually. On this trip I had a granddad, two sons, and one grandson. Wow, what a trip this was, three generations. This is what being out in God’s great outdoors, and being one with nature, is one of the greatest things a family can do.

Lemler Boys

Granddad, Dewayne Lemler, age 62, and has been married to the same woman, Diane, for 42 years. He has resided in Avon Park, FL since 1957 and retired after 40 years as an educator and high school principal in both Highland and Polk counties. They are members of the First Baptist Church of Avon Park and are active in both local and state Baptist programs. They have 3 sons, Dustin, Darren, and Doug, and have 6 grandchildren, Ian, Morgan, Jillian, Kiersten, Joshua, and Alaina. He enjoys fishing, remodeling and spending time with his grandchildren. Dewayne’s largest fish is a 6 lb freshwater bass.

 

Dustin Lemler, age 40, grew up in Avon Park and, after graduating from Palm Beach Atlantic College in 1992, he now resides in Franklin, Tennessee. Dustin also has worked in the education system as a band director for 8 years in the Tampa Bay area. He has a strong faith basis, working at The People’s Church as Director of Visual Arts & Production for the past 10 years. He enjoys sports cars, raising tropical fish, and spending time with family. Dustin’s largest fish is a 5 lb freshwater bass and a 26 lb saltwater snook.

Darren Lemler, age 37, also grew up in Avon Park and, after graduating from Clearwater Christian College in 1996, now resides in Largo, FL with his wife, Erin and their 4 children. He owns his own company DRLemler Inc., is a member of the First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, and works as a general building contractor. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and sports. Darren’s largest fish is a 5 foot tarpon in saltwater and an 11 lb 9 oz bass in freshwater.

Ian Lemler is Darren’s his oldest son and shares his father’s passion for fishing, along with other sports, such as little league baseball and soccer. Ian is a huge fan of the Tampa Bay Rays. Ian’s largest fish is a freshwater bass at 7 lb 11 oz.

What bonds this family of men together is their Christian faith and their love of fishing, hunting, and sports in general. We shared all kinds of fish stores and spiritual stories, and boy oh boy did we catch fish, as you can see by these pictures. And this is in the middle of the summer! As the old saying goes - “dog days of summer,” so this is usually the hardest time of the year to catch bass. First of all, the lake has been drawn down low so they can work on all the locks. Secondly, the water temperature is between 85-90 degrees and that makes it tough. Plus, the outside temperature is in the 90’s, making the heat index in the 100’s.

Now, let’s take time to talk about the trip. Daren called me and wanted to do a bass fishing trip on July 13, so we all met at the Hwy 60 bridge on Kissimmee. I had the pontoon boat already in the water before daybreak. We went up the lake about 4 or 5 miles. Now the fun begins. I put down the trolling motor, put Ian and his Uncle Dustin from Tennessee in the two back seats and put two shiners out the back, placing the rods in the rod holders. We began to pull the edge of the Kissimmee grass line. It wasn’t but a few minutes that Ian had a 4 ¾ lb bass and then the fun began to increase. Everybody got into the action: Dewayne got a 5 ½-5 ¾ lb bass; then Dustin caught one around 5 lb; Darren caught the biggest at 7 ¾ lb. All in all, they caught fish all morning. We experienced great fellowship and thanked the Lord up above for giving us a great morning on the lake.

Until next time, God bless, be safe, and good fishing,

Capt Dick