Master Fisherman

I fish a lot. I like to fish, so I go whenever I have the opportunity..which pretty much is whenever I like. Since most of my fishing is done from the pier, it gives me an advantage over those who need a boat. As matter of fact, fishing could be said to "be in my blood"! I come from a family that all enjoyed being on the water, fishing and especially eating our catch! Even with this long love of angling, I cannot say that I am a "Master Fisherman". I catch a few here and there..enough to keep the hunger for fish sated but never to the point that I feel that I have truly outsmarted the critter. I am more of a happenstance fisherman! If one happens to be swimming by the pier and takes a liking to my bait, I might..just might by chance catch it! Then..lunch or supper is secured and I am happy.

Today, however, I witnessed a true Master Fisherman at work! I was on the pier as usual, when I saw the Osprey searching for breakfast. He was soaring high above the water, eying each fish that would be near the surface. Then it made a beeline for the one of his choice! Straight down, boom! It had its breakfast..a very hefty breakfast at that! I could not be certain of the type of fish, but it was large! Large enough that it caused the Osprey to struggle to gain altitude after the dive. Twice it almost lost its catch..twice the Osprey flipped the fish to grasp it with the other talon. Finally, it had a good hold and was able to make it to the top of the dead pine tree. By the time I made my way up the pier and around the edge of the Bayou, the Osprey had already eaten a good portion of its prey. I still could not determine for sure what type fish it had caught. The tail was a large, straight fan..so it most likely was a redfish. Rats! I could have had that fish for supper! These Ospreys never cease to amaze me with their fishing skills!

Speaking of fish..before my morning was interrupted by the antics of the Osprey, I noticed that there were many, many tiny mullet in the Bay. It has been this way for the past week..millions of mullet gathering in schools around the pier. These are just the perfect size to use as bait! And that..my friend..is probably why it has been difficult to hook a fish..the larger fish are just too full! They do not need to eat my bait! The masses of mullet reminded me of a picture that I once saw of sharks that were gathered off the Coast of Florida. There were hundreds of the sharks swimming about just doing sharklike things. Here my little mullet were doing quite the same thing only doing mulletlike things not sharklike things! I tried to get pictures of them but the teeny tiny mullet in muddy Bay water seem to be a tad more difficult to photograph than huge sharks in clear Gulf water. So squint your eyes and pretend that you see all of the little mullet in the picture..or just take my word for it that they were in the water!