"Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men".

    That quote made by Jesus Christ as noted in the book of Matthew has inspired everything from t-shirts to bass tournament trails over the years. Now it has inspired a local surf fishing group.

    Marcus and Debbie Heflin of Vidor along with their son Justin have founded Christian Surf Fishing Adventures to, "introduce people to Christ and enjoy the great outdoors."

    Marcus Heflin said fishing has always represented the best of what our area has to offer and it has helped keep him spiritually charged through the

years.

    "As a youngster, fishing became my outlet to get away, think, de-stress, relax, and recharge my batteries. Fishing was fun and exciting and I could never sleep well the night before leaving to go. What’s so great is over 30 years later I still feel the same way. Fishing was a spiritual experience for me then and still is to this day."

    Heflin said his goal is to show others what God wants to do for them and how fishing can be their outlet and instrument to bond more with God, family, and friends.

    "Then they can feed themselves for a lifetime from here and for eternity from God."

    The group meets at fairly informal gatherings frequently fishing the surf around McFaddin and have reached out to everyone from drug addicts to a rich man who realized a lifelong dream of catching a bull redfish.

    "Sometimes we'll have a few people show up and then other times we have 20. No matter the number we always have a good time, teach people about fishing and have great fellowship. We want anyone and everyone interested to contact us," Heflin said.

    The group is entirely funded by the Heflins and occasional donations of cash, equipment and volunteer time. Right now they are in need of all of the above going into the fall surf fishing season and could use help from interested parties.

    "We're doing this out of a love for God, people and fishing and with the price of everything going up this is tough to do. we could use some help with a lot of things especially people to volunteer their time and donate equipment," Heflin said.

    Items in special need include rods and reels of any kind and virtually any condition.

    "I can take old reels and things apart and fix them a lot of times. We need surf rods and reels but also casting and spinning equipment for the wade fishing we do," Heflin said.

    An item that costs the group a lot of money is terminal tackle like leader material, surf weights, swivels and hooks. Line is always welcomed as is camping gear and flotation devices.