Poor Man's Tarpon

While out and about this morning, I noticed a large flock of gulls diving near the pier. First thought was that a school of shrimp had made its way into the Bay and thus caused a feeding frenzy of the birds. Grabbing a bucket and the net, I made my way to investigate. To my disappointment, it was not shrimp at all but rather Menhaden that schooled by the millions under and around the pier. Menhaden are great..when fishing..not great when shrimping. Every throw of the net was filled with Menhaden or what locals here call "Sardines". (Not to be confused with Sardines that come in the small tins on the grocer's shelves.) The water was alive not only with these tiny fishes but also larger fish that were in the same feeding frenzy as the birds. Fish were literally jumping out of the water in an excited chase of breakfast. I gave up using the net and grabbed a fishing pole that is kept handy on the pier. Using one of the "Sardines" as bait, I cast into the swirling mess of fish. Immediately I had a strike..I was not ready so lost this one. After rebaiting the hook, I cast again. This time I was ready! Strike..jerk..got him! Or her? Whatever! The fish bounced out of the water with what looked like an attempt to fly. Ahh..now I knew what was causing all the ruckus..Ladyfish! Ladyfish are a beautiful, slender fish that are cousins to the Tarpon, a fish that is well-known as being fighters. Ladyfish are Tarpon wanna-bes thus they have been given the nickname of Poor Man's Tarpon. Once hooked, these fish appear to spend more time in the air than in the water. They flip and jerk trying to dislodge the hook and go free. This makes them very exciting to catch on any slow-fishing day. They are very agile fighters that will take any bait that is offered. They have even been known to strike an empty hook during these feeding frenzies..(that saves on bait!) Lucky for them, they are not considered an edible fish. Ladyfish are a very bony fish and literally leave trails of slime when handled. All of this makes them unappetizing..at least to me! So this was a "catch and release" day! After hooking, catching and releasing a dozen or so just for the fun of it, the rod was put away and I went back to work. It was fun while it lasted.

It was good to see this much action in the Bay this morning. The area around the Bayou was teeming with life of all sorts. This Great Blue Heron was also fishing for the Ladyfish and the Menhaden. Only his was a not a "catch and release" plan..he was out to get breakfast. I, at first, was confused as to how it was standing in the water. I knew that during high tide (as it was this morning) this area should have been at least two feet deep. It was almost as if this bird was "walking on water". Then I noticed the "wake" caused by a broken post that was just beneath the water level. Smart bird..from this vantage point, not only could he catch the small minnows of the shallows but even the larger Ladyfish that were chasing these minnows. I am sure he got his fill this morning.