It was a sunny, cool day at Clear Lake Park with a light breeze that quickly came and went. The breeze allowed the fishing line to float freely in the peaceful water while awaiting the first bite of the day.
“It’s relaxing,” Wanda Franklin said.
This is the kind of day Willard Franklin, III and his family want everyone to experience.
“My name is Willard, my wife’s name is Wanda, my son is Willard IV, and my daughter is Wendy,” Franklin said. “That’s the Four W’s Fishing Team.”
Together the family works to keep everyone safe on the water and encourages people of all races to enjoy fishing and outdoors.
“My mission is safety, diversity, inclusion, conservation, and careers,” Franklin said.
At a young age, the Houston outdoorsman and fisherman noticed there were not many fishermen that looked like him and decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I grew up in Sunnyside in Houston, Texas, “Franklin said. “I’ve been watching fishing television shows for years. Until recently, you never saw anyone that looked like my dad, let alone me, promoting the outdoors.”
The outdoorsman said his strong ties to fishing are deep-rooted in the quality time he spent with his father as a kid.
As Franklin reminisces on his time with his father, Willard Franklin Jr., a look of surprise sneaks on his face as he realizes how much time has passed.
“My dad took me fishing with him 57 years ago,” Franklin said. “Wow! My job was to catch piggy perch. He brought me along with him every weekend. I would get his truck ready. I looked forward to it every Saturday.”
After bonding with his father for many years over their love for fishing, the outdoorsman developed a passion for water safety.
“Texas is number two in the nation for losing souls on the water,” said Franklin. “Whenever we get our truck, we get our life jacket, and we do motor maintenance. It’s my mission and my goal to bring awareness to as many people as I can.”
Even though the CEO of the Four W’s Fishing Team takes every precaution and double-checks everything before he sets sail on the water, occasionally he has to demonstrate it.
While out on the water promoting safety, Franklin encountered the Texas Game Wardens, who randomly stopped him to verify he had the proper safety essentials on his boat.
“We weren’t out five minutes,” Franklin said. “The very first boat we saw was the Texas Wildlife Game Wardens. What do you think they did when they saw us? Red and blue lights were flashing.”
Franklin was prepared to address the Texas Game Warden’s questions.
“For water safety inspections, you’ll need life jackets for everyone on board, a type four throwable, a horn or a whistle, and a fire extinguisher,” warden Derrick Lopez said.
According to Franklin, stops like these are not uncommon, but as a water safety enthusiast, he understands the stops are to keep everyone safe.
After the untimely stop, Franklin proceeded on his journey to catch fish, which was difficult at first.
The experienced fisherman’s persistence paid off as he got the first bite of the day. As he tugged at the fishing pole while reeling the fish in, a look of satisfaction came across his face.
“It just doesn’t get much better than this,” Franklin said with a huge smile.