The Owner of “Fisher of Men” Boat

1 Corinthians 9:22
“. . . I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (NIV)

The Lord has graciously given a boat and an ability to fish.
Both are given to be used for His Kingdom.  
Fishing is a way to fulfill the Great Commission.

George Yates is the owner of the boat "Fisher of Men."  He is a retired U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain.  He is the Lead pastor of New Covenant Evangelical Presbyterian Church just east of New Castle, PA (www.newcovenantepc.com). 

George has always loved the water.  He was a certified Red Cross Life Guard working at various camps and Y's.  He also was certified as a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and taught many swimming lessons and life guards.  He has also served as an Assistant Aquatic Director at a "Y" and managed a private swim club in Princeton, NJ.  He has taken various boating courses from the Boy Scouts, Red Cross, and the U.S. Army.

Born in Trenton, NJ, he grew up fishing the Delaware River.  Later moving with his family to Maryville, Tennessee, he fished the streams of the Smokey Mountains.  During his active duty time in the army, George fished the lakes of Georgia and South Carolina.  After becoming a member of the Military Bass Anglers Society, he fished many bass tournaments.  Some the places he has fished are the Manistique Lakes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Lake Chautauqua New York, the Persian Gulf off of Kuwait.   




But his real love is fishing the Great Lakes.  The adventures of fishing Lake Erie began back in 1978 when he fished the shoreline and the streams.   Since  1987 he has fished mostly from his boats in the Pennsylvania and New York waters of Erie for Walleye, Perch, Small Mouth Bass and Steelhead Trout.  In 2005 he began fishing Lake Ontario for King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, and Steelhead Trout.

After serving a tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as an Lieutenant Colonel, he was able to buy “Fisher of Men.”

Boats
1984 - 1987          16' Bass Tracker.  50hp Johnson
1987 - 1990          16' Deep V Grumman  90hp Evinrude w/ 9.9 hp Johnson
1993 - Present    14' wooden boat he built - first with 1952 5ph Johnson and then 9.9 Johnson
1997 - 2003          16' 1963 wooden Penn Yan - George completely restored - 50hp Johnson
2003 - Present    22' W/A Hydra Sport - 225hp Evinrude w/ 9.9hp Mercury