Sometimes I Do Not Like People!

  Sometimes, I just do not like people.  Not folks.  I like folks.  Folks are those kindhearted, generous, understanding ones in your life who try to do right by others.  People, on the other hand, are those who don't give a rat's tail about how they treat others.  I repeat...sometimes, I just do not like people.

  This afternoon while we were on the pier, I caught a catfish.  While there is nothing unusual about that, I quickly noticed that something was amiss.  The poor catfish was suffering.  Yep, we will use catfish as crab bait but we kill them quickly and do not let them suffer and we never kill anything needlessly.  But...this poor fish had been maltreated by somebody.  Obviously, someone caught the fish then decided that the fish needed to be on a stringer.  The clip was placed through the gill and out the mouth.  Granted, what happened next may have been purely by accident but somehow the catfish got away with the clip still attached.  

  Obviously, this happened some time ago as the clip was now embedded, not only in the fish's mouth but even in its side.  Where the clip pressed against the side of the fish, there was a great indentation.  The side of its mouth was bloody and sore from the clip rubbing against the skin.  With the clip snapped in the locked position, there was no way for the fish to ever escape this slow and very painful death.  

  Yeah, like I said earlier, we will kill a fish for food or for bait but never let one needlessly suffer.  My heart went out to that poor, old hardhead catfish.  The fish was unhooked and Mark carefully removed the clip.  He tried not to tear the fish's skin any more than necessary to remove the embedded clip. As we held the fish, it seemed to know that we were trying to help it.  Not once did it try to flip around and stab us with its sharp fins.  After a few photos, I gently let the fish back into the water.  It seemed mightily grateful for our efforts to help.  I can only imagine how much easier the catfish's life will be now. 

  It is people who do things like this that I do not like.  There was no earthly reason to stick that stupid clip into the fish.  My goodness!  If you wish to keep the fish, use a bucket or, at least, be careful not to release the fish with that horrid thing still attached.  Whoever did this rates right along up there with the wannabe fishermen who use 5 lb test line with a steel leader and huge cork.  I have caught many a fish with the rig still attached to them.  Pulling that cork around eventually kills the fish.  People....use commonsense!  No wonder I do not like you!  You cannot fix stupid.