At daybreak, we were on the pier trying to catch some little mullet to use as bait. The Bay has been full of redfish so we have been trying to catch as many as we can each day. These are cleaned and bagged to give to our elderly friends and fill our freezers. This morning was perfect. There was a slight north wind and only a few low clouds making the sun broadcast a reddish-gold glow to the Bayou. You could hear the redfish as they popped little mullet out of the water up on the shoreline. It looked to be a good fishing morning.
Mark cast the net for mullet and I baited the hooks and tossed the lines near the shore. To catch the reds, we fish right against the marsh grass. The redfish usually chase the tiny mullet along the marsh and easily come across our hooked bait. Suddenly, Mark said "Uh oh, your buddy is here." Turning, I saw the female gator swimming across in front of the pier. I grabbed the camera, leaned against one of the posts and started taking photos. I was surprised when she turned toward me. We made eye contact and she stopped about twenty feet from the pier. There she stayed for the longest time. I heard my line whistling out and knew my gator visit had come to an end. Yep! A red! I battled the fish and won. The prize was mine! Supper! Meanwhile, the activity piqued the interest of the gator and she eased even closer, looked at us longingly and then turned toward shore. She wanted that fish!
Ms. Gator did not have to wait long before she, herself, had a nice red. It took about a full five minutes before she was able to gulp down the large fish. Then, she settled in along the marsh. Well, that ended the fishing on shore for a while! No reds were going anywhere near those large jaws. Mark caught a nice one out from the pier but our "good" day of fishing was limited to the two fish. Ms. Gator stayed long after sunrise and then swam off into the depths of the Bayou. Hopefully, tomorrow morning, Ms. Gator will stay away and we can catch a few more.
No comments:
Post a Comment