The thought that God would one day involve him in professional bass fishing tournaments may have never crossed the mind of Lee Bailey Jr. when he started fishing as a youth.
But it definitely never crossed his mind that he would become a Christian through fishing and then use that passion to share his love for the Lord.
All of it came true in November 1998 on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. He was competing in a Bassmaster Invitational when fellow competitor Terry Chupp of Team Jesus Ministries took the time to ask him about his relationship with God.
Chupp said Bailey accepted Christ the same day in a parking lot. It would be January 2004, before he and his wife, Carol, were baptized at a church in Clewiston, Fla., while he was visiting with friends during a tournament.
But Chupp said he never doubted Bailey was on the right track after witnessing to him in 1998.
"I am so proud of him," Chupp said. "Lee is on fire for the Lord."
Bailey began sharing his faith in 2007 with the creation of the Web site www.EyesonJesus.com, a ministry he promotes with logos on the fishing boat, tour rig and uniforms that he uses for competition in the Bassmasters Fishing Tournament.
"It’s amazing the conversations [the logo] brings up, traveling down the highway and stopping at gas stations," Bailey said. "It gives me a lot of opportunity to witness to people."
Initially, he had planned a more secular theme when he began redesigning his logo in 2007. Bailey’s professional angler number is 007, and since he is a fan of fictional British spy James Bond, whose number is also 007, he created a slogan with the theme "Eyes on the Gold" as a tribute to some of the Bond movies.
"We felt real strong about how our ’07 season was going to be and we felt that it would work really well with our marketing," Bailey said.
Sitting in church one morning at Victory Baptist, Guntersville, in Marshall Association, Bailey realized that not only was his slogan wrong but also that there were opportunities for ministry if he changed the logo.
"The slogan I was going to use might give people and children the wrong message," Bailey said. "It is not about the gold, it is about [Jesus]."
That led to the decision to begin promoting his online ministry, which he describes as an "inspirational Web site."
Along with submitting prayer requests, visitors to the site can also read Bailey’s testimony, share their testimonies, learn about the plan of salvation and read a daily Bible passage.
"Ever since I joined the church, the Lord has been working with me pretty hard about using my fishing to show everybody what the Lord can do in their life," he said.
But even with a new logo and emphasis on ministry, things did not go well for Bailey in 2007 and the season is one he would like to forget.
"It was the toughest season that I’ve had in competition, since I’ve been a full-time pro," he said. "It was really tough on me. I had one of those years where I would fall short of where I needed to be in every tournament."
He also lost a major sponsor, which left him unable to secure the $55,000 entry fee required for this year’s Bassmaster Elite Tournament, which began in March. However, Bailey said he hopes to fish in several regional tournaments scheduled for this summer.
His expectations for securing sponsorship for the 2009 Elite Tournament are also high, in the hope that it will not only allow him to compete again in the competition but also serve as another opportunity for ministry.
Chupp said many people can be pulled away from their faith in Jesus.
But his conversations over the years with those who know Bailey has assured him that Bailey is sound in his faith.
"A good reputation is hard to gain, but easy to lose," Chupp said. "Lee has kept a reputation as not only a good fisherman, but someone who is not ashamed of Jesus Christ."
Share with others: