Its STUCK!

One thing that is certain about winter on the Bayou is the fact that the tide is almost always low.  As long as that north wind blows, the mudflats are extended far out into the Bay.   This is a boon to most of the shore critters and waterfowl but makes for pathetic fishing for us!  I would have to catch some sort of mud fish!  Mark's small skiff can be pushed  across the four to five inches of water into deeper if he wished to go fishing but anyone with larger boats are just out of luck.  Anyone wanting to do winter fishing on the Bay had better think a bit ahead.

My brother has several large boats docked at his pier.  When the tide is blown far from the shore, these boats sit high and dry.  There would be no way possible to get them in deeper water.  I have to laugh every time I see this as it reminds me of a game that Mark and I used to play on the computer.  Whenever something would not open, the narrator would exclaim very dramatically, "Its STUCK!!!" .  Now whenever we face something difficult that is our "go to" phrase...."Its STUCK!"  I do believe it applies to the boats!  They are STUCK!  This low tide does make for some interesting pictures, though!

I have always been enthralled by the lack of water during low tide.  It is times like these that I can see just what is snagging  my line. Seeing all of the logs that have washed near the pier makes me wonder just how many of my hooks are embedded deep into the wood.  Shells, logs, antique bottles, paddles and other lost fishing gear can be seen from the height of the pier.  Sometimes I wish I could traipse about on the mudflats just to see what I could find!  That would never happen, though, as I would sink!  That mud is not unlike quicksand! It can suck you down under in a matter of minutes!  Once you start to go under, it is best not to flounder about.  The more you move, the more suction the mud generates on your body.  Soon you will find yourself completely mired!

Son can speak from experience.  Michael attempted to cross the Bayou a few summers past.  About midway through, his light step faltered and he sank to his knees.  The suction of the mud was almost more than his strength.  Had he not had the foresight to "lay flat" on the mud, I am not sure he would have made it across the thirty feet or so to the other side of the small channel.  I was no help whatsoever!  Since I was safe on the solid ground, all I could do was offer him encouragement (between fits of giggling!).  His commonsense told him to literally "swim" across the mud.  (That was one of the times that I sure missed having my camera handy!)  His trek...errr...floundering...took him to his destination but then he had to return by the same route.  More floundering in the mud and he was back safe and sound albeit terribly muddy!  More giggles and a good dousing with the water hose brought the episode to an happy end.

He and I have often talked about that incident when we observe the shore birds, raccoons, otters and nutria rats scurrying about on the mudflats.  How in the world do they keep from sinking?  Michael's experience taught him that it is all about weight distribution.  Those widely splayed toes on most of the marsh critters evens the distribution of weight to the point that the animals do not sink.  I need to practice that technique!  Perhaps if I can ever master it, I can scavenge the shoreline and find all sorts of neat treasures!  Wishful thinking never hurt anyone, right?  Maybe I should just leave the mud-walking to the critters!