Someone Stole My Supper!

Late this afternoon, I headed to the pier. The sun would soon be setting and with the cloudy sky, a beautiful sunset might be in the making! With my trusty old camera in hand, I sat on the bench waiting and watching. I was not there too long before I realized that fish were breaking all along the shore. It has been a while since there has been any fish other than a few small mullet in the Bay so this was a welcome sight! I watched for a few moments before reaching for the net. I was going to have fresh fish for supper!

As soon as I threw the first throw of the net, I knew that I had something rather large! I could feel the tug of the net and the sloshing back and forth of a large fish. Woohoo! Perhaps I would have my meal with just one toss of that net! I lugged the net up on the pier. Oh, drat! That was not what I wanted! Sure, if I was hungry enough, I would not complain but this was a Sheephead. The fish is edible (not the most tastiest..but edible) but it is just a pain to clean...literally! Those sharp, spiny fins will stab you quicker than lightning if you are not careful! Also, those fins make it almost impossible to untangle the fish from the net! After much shaking and lots of pulling and shaking of the net, the fish fell free. He would live to see another day! I used the toe of my moccasin to slip the fish back into the water.

Catching that fish caught the interest of one of the Pelicans. Gus decided that a closer inspection was due so he came down off of the post and waddled relatively near me. I kept throwing and in the next throw, I caught three mullet! One of these was huge! The two others..not so huge. Leaving the fish on the pier, I attempted to catch another large fish. If I could do that, the smaller ones could be set free. As I was flinging that net, the fish flip-flopped around on the pier..enough so that the Pelican forgot all about me! Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a movement and a flash of silver! I turned just in time to see Old Gus gulp down one of the smaller mullet and grab the other! Thief!!!!! My supper was disappearing fast! After downing the second fish, Gus sidled over to the largest of the mullet. He attempted to pick this one up, too, but the fish flopped over the side of the pier into the safety of the water. Now, I had no supper! I looked at Gus...I do believe he was trying to give me that "innocent look" as if to say "I promise...I was only looking at the fish! I do not know where they went!" Oh, well! At least one of us had supper!