Not Really What I Wanted To Catch!

   So...this morning, I was up bright and early, had coffee and, then, the cat and I headed out the front door.  Bat went his way to check what had happened overnight and I made my way to the pier.  Once there, the pitch blackness of 5am surrounded me with an eerie, cloaked feeling.  As I sat listening to the "daytime" birds starting to twitter, a different sound suddenly surrounded me. Ahh, the pipping of menhaden! Yep, within just a few moments, the entire area was filled with schools of the finest "fishin' size" bait!  Well, that meant only one thing to me...it was time to catch bait and fish a while.  After throwing the net just one time, I had several hundred of the tiny fish.  Two buckets of water gave enough room for about 30 baits.  Now to go shake Mark out of bed so he could join me.

  Our fishing started out with a bang!  Even though we caught nary a "good" fish, the baits were steadily being taken.  Gafftopsails and hardhead catfish were the catches of the day.  This was fine because they both make fine bait for the crab pots.  After landing several, I noticed that my line was acting "funny".  The fish was not taking the bait and running with it but, rather, just nibbling.  Hmm?  I taunted the fish for just a second and...wham!...off it went like a shot.  I jerked back to set the hook and that purely must have angered the monster on my hook.  The drag went to singing and, no matter how I tried, I could not turn the fish.  This tug-o-war was real!  I would gain a few feet of line and the fish would take it (and more) back.  Goodness!  

  The first thought was that I had hooked a huge redfish but it did not take long to realize that was a mistake.  Once I saw mud swirling up from the bottom, I knew just what I had but this rascal must be huge.  I battled.  The fish battled.  Then, finally, I was able to pull it to the top and near the pier.  Mark had the good idea of trying to get it in the scoop net but the fish would not fit in the 22 inch rim. "Just let it be," I told him.  He was determined to land the thing and took the pole from my hands.  I knew I was never going to be able to haul that thing up on the pier.  Snap!  The line broke and the fish glided back under the pier.

  Any fisherman could tell you just what I had hooked.  Yep.  A gigantic stingray had decided my bait was delicious so it took the whole bait, hook and sinker.  Personally, while it saddens me to know the fish has a hook lodged in its mouth, I am glad the line broke.  Let that huge thing live another day.  It deserved life after that battle when all it wanted was breakfast.  Besides, it was not particularly what I wanted to catch.  I was sure hoping for that redfish!