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!

Just Paddlin' Along!

   As one might guess, I spend a lot of time on the pier.  It is one of the places that brings complete tranquility...there and the swamps.  It is while I am in these places that I find some of my best "friends"...those of the critter sort.  Yesterday's friend was a young seagull that seemed to be quite interested in my fishing bait.  Gulls have been known to steal a few of the menhaden that I use to catch my lunch or catch catfish for the crab pots.  This gull was just waiting for its chance!  So... to avoid snagging the gull in an attempt to pull my bait from its beak, I decided to just toss the bird a few minnows.  That would satisfy it and, thus, keep it safe.

  Before being fed, the bird sat on the post of my brother's pier.  Our piers are a short distance apart so the gull had a perfect "bird's eye view" of the happenings on our pier. Once I offered it the minnows, it came to visit then decided to fly southward over the water.  Instead of going back to the pier post, the goofy gull took a swim.  Yep, for the next hour, the gull paddled around like a duck.  It seemed to be one happy camper just floating on the water and never made an effort to find a perching spot.  This was the longest that I have witnessed a gull swim.  Those little webbed feet where getting a workout!  Its belly was full so now it could just paddle away the morning without a care in the world.

Nine Catfish, One Stingray, One Trout and a Big Lizard!

   Early this morning, I caught a few menhaden so Mark and I could go fishing.  The end of the pier is my choice of fishing spots as it is convenient.  If the fish are not biting, I can simply head back to the gardens to work.  This morning, however, we were determined to catch some hardhead catfish to use as crab bait.  It was not long before the fish started biting and I was pulling in one catfish after another. Suddenly, the pull bent downward and the drag started humming.  I knew I had something a bit larger than a hardhead. One nice gafftopsail (catfish) was hauled to the pier.  Then, another good pull and a stingray was flopped onto the pier.  That could be used as crab bait, as well!  At one point, Mark was swishing around in the bait bucket to hand me a minnow, when I heard his line going out like crazy!  I grabbed the pole and pulled in a small trout.  Well...maybe our lunch?  Catfish continued to bite until I had to head back to chores.  All in all, it was a good morning!

  As I walked back up to the pier, I became exasperated.  In the edge of the marsh was a large piece of plastic.  Since it was out of reach, I grabbed my reel and tossed the hook over the edge of the plastic.  The hook slid around and caught hold of an attached rope.  Smooth sailing!  The plastic sheet easily came to the pier.  I picked it up and had to start giggling.  After all of those fish, I had now caught a "Big Lizard"!  It seems this was one of those "boogie boards" or "wake boards" that I have seen young folks using.  (Not sure on either of those terms.)  Anyway, the name printed on the top was "Big Lizard"!  I wonder where that came from? It sort of fit...maybe?  I went from fishing to the garden and caught a big lizard?  Anyway, the morning was fun and now...beautiful rain!  Hopefully, it will rain all night and end this dreadful drought!

Ulterior Motive!

   A few days ago, I jokingly made a post on social media about a seagull that decided to "friend" me.  For some reason, the pun flew by most folks and all remarked about how nice the gull appeared.  Yep, I was, indeed, poking fun at the sudden rash of "friend requests" I had received on the site.  Most of those were not valid requests and were followed by the usual "I did not make a new account!  Do NOT accept a friend request from me!"  The bird, however, did validate its requested friendship by visiting me again today.  We had a grand time sitting in the warm sunshine while discussing the fishing techniques of each other.  Then, I threw the net, caught a few menhaden and the bird feasted.  (No wonder this bird wants to be friends!  I have been hoodwinked into catching its breakfast!)

  This is a immature laughing gull and they are known as the "beggars of the bird world".  These birds would just as rather beg, borrow or steal lunch than catch it.  They only "work" if absolutely necessary.  They are pretty much jerks that will show up to dine at any banquet even if they were not invited.  Other birds have to catch their breakfast then be quick and agile enough to evade the sneaky gulls.  

  So..you may rightly ask why I catch food for the gull.  I do simply to allow the terns to eat in peace.  If the gull is getting its fill of menhaden on the pier, it is most likely not going to expend energy chasing down a tern to steal its food.  (Did I mention that I really like the terns?)  I shall continue to feed my "friend" (even if I use the term in jest) and enjoy watching the terns dive for their own meals.

The Bird Watchers?

  Early this morning, a lone Brown Pelican was diving around the pier.  It almost seemed to be "too" quiet. Yesterday, a school of shrimp passed through which had the usual following of seagulls, terns and pelicans.  The Bay was "hopping" with activity.   The screeching of the gulls seemed to let every other bird know that the "feed" was on!  Then, overnight, the school of shrimp moved elsewhere and drew most of the predatory birds with them.  The pelican that stayed behind was not in need, however, as massive schools of menhaden and mullet filled the waters.  The bird was fat and happy! It was smart to lag behind and not get caught up in the frenetic doings of the masses. The pelican could lounge about the calm waters and scoop up menhaden and mullet.

  By watching the waterfowl, it is not hard to tell just what is passing below the surface of the water.  With shrimp, the birds are in a feeding frenzy.  Hundreds will dive until their bellies are stuffed.  When the schools are of menhaden, the birds take their dear, sweet time to catch their meal.  The mullet are a different story as the birds have to work harder.  Mullet are fast and travel in much smaller schools.  Local fishermen can all read these signs and know which fish will be biting simply by how the birds are acting.  It is an art! Or maybe a science!  Whatever!  Watch the birds and they will tell you where to fish and what bait to use.

Fish Bait?

  I was pondering the lowly fish that locals around here only think of as bait.  It must be a sad day in your life when you realize that your major role is to be used to catch something bigger and better.  What does that say?  Then again, maybe it is a sad day in their lives anyway as they are caught so it really does not matter what the end result is unless they are returned to the water intact.  But still....

  That thinking got the wheels in my brain a-turning and I had to find out more about our bait of choice, Menhaden.  I have to admit, the little fish are excellent bait but that is not as far as their worth goes according to the human rating system.  The fish are used for far more things than I ever imagined.  The largest use is as fish oil.  Billions (yes, billions) of pounds each year are caught and the oil is extracted.  This oil is used in dietary supplements, in human food, in pet food and...get this...as an additive to fish food.  (The fish are caught to feed other fish?)  After the oil is removed, the rest of the fish is dried and ground into fish meal which is also added to animal food. A bit of further investigation also revealed that these little fishies are big money to those folks who create makeup and lipstick.  That shimmer and glimmer in many makeup products and lipsticks is due to added fish scales.  The Menhaden scales actually do resemble glitter! (So the next time you wear some glittery makeup, think fish.)

  The fishing for the pogies goes back a long way.  For centuries, the tiny fish were caught and used as fertilizer on farms and as food for hogs.  As fertilizer, the fish decay quickly making the soil much richer and promoting rapid growth of the plants.  Farmers of old used the fish instead of chemicals that are now dumped into the soil.  While some folks would decry that this is unsanitary, it was a far safer mode of fertilizing plants than that of today.  I have tried it...it works.  The garden did well with only a few flies in the ointment...literally.  While that saying usually means "problems", I actually had flies...coons, birds, cats, dogs, coyotes, turtles and a myriad of other critters digging up my fishy fertilizer.  So...if you try this, make sure to not use it in a garden near the house.  Once critters dig up your fishies, the stench gets pretty bad.  Also, bury them deep!  Very deep.  And wait a week or two before digging around in there.  You really do not want to dig up any surprises.  Other than that, as a fertilizer, the fish did well.  I had some of the best tomatoes that year!  

  So, in thinking about these little fish and their many, many uses, it seems to me that Menhaden need to be recognized as more important than just a fish bait.  Think of how many things revolve around their very existence and with the billions of pounds harvested each year, be thankful for that female that can produce up to 300,000 eggs per year!  She keeps things running like a well-oiled machine.  (Yeah, I went there...sorry.)  

Its UGLY!

  I am one that tries to find the beauty in everything.  Sometimes, that loveliness can be quite hidden but after a bit of observation, it can be found.  It may not be an outward appearance sort of beauty but rather an inner beauty that becomes apparent.  Still, today, I found something UGLY!  I mean...UGLY. UGLY!  In fact, even though I sat and watched the critter for nigh on a half hour, I could not, for the life of me, find even a bit of attractiveness.  It was just ugly in so many ways.

  The critter that caught my attention today, has done so in the past, as well.  Usually, I become aware of the critter's presence when it bites me.  That is not fun.  Being bitten by something that eats the body organs of other critters sort of gives me the heebie-jeebies, to say the least.  A Cymothoa exigua or tongue-eating louse decided that my finger must taste mighty fine because it latched onto it and refused to let go.  I had caught minnows for Moe, the heron, and inadvertently picked up one that had the louse on it.  Ouch!  Those things hurt!  So, I had to study the critter for a bit....before I smashed it.

  The tongue-eating louse is a weird critter.  They are born as males and reside in the gills of certain fish (in today's case, menhaden).  They grow by feeding on tidbits of what the fish eats.  Once they become full grown, some have the ability to change sexes to become a females.  (The one today was definitely a female and I will explain that later.)   Weird...but it gets weirder!  Once the guy becomes a gal, she crawls up from the gills to the throat of the host fish and latches onto the tongue.  She makes a small incision in the base of the tongue and starts to drink the blood.  This causes the fish's tongue to dry up and fall off but the story does not end there!  The evil-hearted louse remains latched onto the stub of a tongue and literally becomes a working organ of the fish.  The louse acts as a tongue and feeds upon whatever the fish eats.

  Now that female is full grown and has her funky little "home" and a steady job, those lackadaisical males that are left in the gills, decide to mate with her so this whole scene can be repeated.  Once she becomes pregnant, she eats to support her growing body until it is time to give birth.  She gives birth to a bunch of little male critters that climb into the gills of the fish.   In the case of my critter, she was definitely a female.  If you look closely at her extended belly, you can actually see her babies through the stretched skin.  She was getting ready to give birth!  No matter what, you cannot tell me there is beauty within that critter!  It bites!  It eats tongues!  It is just down right ugly!!

 

Cause for Concern

  There comes a time when you become concerned over what is happening to your friends.  If you observe a change in their demeanor, their quality of life or even their appearance, you worry about their welfare and wonder if there is something you can do to help them.  This even applies to critter friends.   We all wish to help our pets live healthy, happy lives but what about the wild critters around us?  Do they deserve our care and concern?  They should.

  For the past few weeks, I have been helping a young heron who obviously was abandoned before learning the fine art of fishing.  A heron that cannot fish for his meals, will not last long in this world.  So, I took it upon myself to gather a few tidbits for the critter.  He seems duly grateful for the handouts and is now learning to fish for himself.  So, it is not the heron that concerned me today.  It was the minnows that I fed the bird that drew my attention.  

Examples of two malformed menhaden. The mullet on the left is perfectly fine but a good many of the menhaden are deformed.

  I thought it was a fluke when about a month back, I caught menhaden that were drastically malformed.  The little fish appeared to have their backbones bent in a most disconcerting way.  Since I had only caught a couple, I thought perhaps the menhaden were injured when they were wee tots.  Perhaps a larger fish had tried to eat them but the minnow escaped with an injury.  Today, however, five out of the twenty or so menhaden that I caught in the net were severely disfigured.  This was a problem and I needed to address it. So...I contacted the one person that I know who could help.  A young man named Andre has a vast knowledge of the oceans and the denizens thereof.  He studied Marine Biology in college and now works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA.  I sent Andre a photograph of the menhaden with an explanation of where the fish were caught and how many I was catching.  It was only a few moments before I had his answer.  " There are plenty of environmental factors that can affect sea life.  A lot of times, weather has an impact on fish deformities."  I had no idea of this so I asked more.  "The cold snaps we had late this winter, could have caused the deformities if the eggs or tiny fish larvae were in shallow waters."  Well, the Bayou did get covered in a lot of ice this year, so I guess my menhaden just got too cold.  Andre went on to assure me that the fish were still safe for Moe, the heron, to eat and for me to use as bait.  He also said that he would send word to his associates to do a welfare check on my fish!    It is sure nice to know who to call!  Thank you, Andre!

A Popular Diner

  For the past few weeks, I have been feeding a friendly Great Blue Heron (also known as a Bayou Ostrich thanks to my little granddaughter, Mary Ruth.)!  The bird is becoming quite tame and comes running up the pier whenever it sees me pick up the net.  Once I have a good catch, the young heron eats to its heart's content.  With its belly full, the little fellow flies to a post to watch my every move.  Then, before I leave the pier, I have to feed it another meal.  This is fine as long as there are plenty of little mullet or menhaden in the Bay.  A couple of casts of the net and the meal is served.  But...things changed today.

  As usual when I went to the pier, the bird flew in behind me.  When I picked up the net, he came running and followed me as I cast.  The catch was dumped on the  pier boards so the bird could feast but before he could finish his meal, others came. That rascal had evidently told all of his buddies that a free meal could be had if they came to the diner on the pier!  A motley bunch of beggars came to lunch.  Besides the heron (ostrich?), a Snowy Egret, a Common Tern and a Laughing Gull enjoyed a fine meal of menhaden.  The heron was given some extra treats of little mullet since he has been coming the longest.

  With this crazy crew, I had to throw the net several more times to catch enough minnows.  At one point, the gull decided that he did not want to share the meal.   He flew to the mound of menhaden and gulped down about twenty of the little fish before the other three birds could reach the spot.  It did not take long before the Snowy took command and chased the greedy gull away!  The other three shared a peaceful meal while the gull glared from the pier post.  So....I wonder who will come to breakfast at the pier diner tomorrow??  If this group keeps growing, I may need a bigger net!

Oh, Some Friends!

  We all have them.  We love them to pieces but, at times, have to shake our heads at their actions.  Some friends take a mile when offered an inch.  It does not damper the friendship but can be a bit bewildering.  

  My new found critter friend, the young heron, has been coming regularly to the pier for its handouts.  This morning, it was there waiting before I even came out the door.  By the time I made it to the pier, the bird was doing a steady bit of pacing as if to say "Hurry up with breakfast, please!"  I obliged and caught it a nice helping of menhaden.  Then a bit later, the bird came back for a mid-morning snack.  For being such a skinny bird, that thing can eat!  

  Well, along about ten o'clock, I decided that I had enough fishing for the time being but I still had a nice bucketful of menhaden.  Hmmm?  With the aerator going, the minnows should stay alive so I did not toss them back into the water.  My scoop net was laid across the top of the bucket to provide a bit of shade and I headed to the Little Bayou House to do a bit of painting.  Son was installing the new screen doors, today!  Touch up painting would be required if he had to do any trimming.  I had hopes to return to the pier to catch more trout after my chores were complete.  

  Along about four in the afternoon, I headed back to the pier to catch my friend red-handed (or red-beaked, as the case was.)  The young heron had cleaned my bait bucket!  Only three minnows remained in the bottom of the bucket and they were exhausted from dodging that dagger-like beak!  Give that bird an inch and it will eat you out of house and home (to jumble up some idioms).   That silly bird had helped itself to the contents of my bait bucket!  Then, to top it all off, the bird stood begging for yet more minnows!  Silly bird!  Some friend you are!

The "Happy Dance"

  Have you ever noticed how critters seem to fully appreciate even the tiniest act of kindness?  Without words, they can let you know that your actions mean the world to them.  Today was the sort of day that all things went well and it was topped off with a show of gratitude that brought smiles to the face.

  Mark and I had a busy day so late in the afternoon, we called it quits and headed to the pier.  The fishing poles had sat idle long enough and we needed to put them back into action.  The Bay was teeming with menhaden which is our favorite bait fish.  Those shiners really can lure the fish to bite.  We settled in with our baited lines to await the first nibble but it was not long before I was feeding our bait to a different critter!  A Great Blue Heron came to visit us and the poor thing looked so hungry!  This was a young bird that obviously had not mastered the art of fishing as well as it should have so it had taken to begging for a handout now and again.  I was ready to oblige the bird and tossed it a nice sized menhaden.  

  At first the bird was hesitant to accept the fish. It was a bit skittish of the two humans sitting on the pier even though one was willing to supply its supper.  After a bit of coaxing on my part the bird eased up closer to snag its fish.  Another fish was tossed and the bird was quicker on the take.  After six more fish, the heron would dart in to grab its fish with no qualms whatsoever.  After a couple more fish, the bird did a happy dance to show its gratitude for the handout.  Mark made the comment that I had made a new friend and I thought "Yep, and it will be back for more of our bait!"  I guess we had better catch twice as much as we need if I plan on feeding this fine, feathered friend each day!

A Tad Large

  On the Bayou, we fish a lot.  More oft than not, we use live bait.  Buying lures seems as bit senseless as we usually have a never ending supply of minnows swimming about the place.  Usually.  Then there are days like today where I could not catch a single mullet to use as bait.  They were just not here.  I did, however, catch two (yes, only two) of my favorite fish to use as bait...the menhaden.  Normally, I would have settled for two baits just because there is not much use in getting in an uproar about anything especially fishing.  The thing is, I let these two menhaden go free.

  As a rule, to use menhaden as bait, you prefer the fish to be about three inches in length.  Any smaller and most fish will pass them by with nary a look.  Much larger and the fish find it difficult to swallow.  The two caught today were...ummm...a tad large. They were each almost a foot long!  In fact, I pretty much could have cleaned and fried these two!  Not that I would have simply because menhaden are considered bait and not food.  In fact, even though the fish would not kill you, they are not a desirable food fish.  If not eaten immediately, the flesh gets mushy and the oils rancid.  Menhaden tend to decay rather quickly and I am not fond of eating rotten, slushy fish.  This is the reason Pop always called the extra large menhaden "Slops".  Leave them dead long in the bottom of your boat and you will see why this descriptive name is fitting.  They get rather putrid.

  These menhaden were two of a bunch that were visiting the area this afternoon.  As I stood on the pier, I could seen hundreds of the oversized "minnows" swimming below me.  It has been a weird fishing week as some days, nary a fish can be found then the next there are dozens.  Perhaps this latest bit of "no good fishing days" is a way to keep me indoors and make me get that decorating finished for Christmas.  Yep, I would rather be fishing!

Those Tongue-eaters are Back!!! Ouch!

  They are back.  Maybe they never left but it seems that late fall is when their appearance becomes known to me.  More oft than not, it is this time of year when I encounter and invariably get bitten by the critters.  I am talking about the Cymothoa exigua which is a long name for a tiny crustacean.  Besides the obvious pain involved in its bite, it is the way this crustacean lives that makes it terrifying.

  The Cymothoa exigua is actually parasite of fish.  This tiny crustacean crawls into a fish's mouth and attaches itself to the tongue.  Once there, it draws blood from the fish and feeds.  Having the blood flow stopped, the tongue soon atrophies and fall off.  Not fun.  But!  This little stinker then fully attaches itself and "becomes" the fish's tongue.  That way the host fish can still feed and the parasite can remain inside for its whole life or that of the fish...whichever comes first.  Other than the obvious aggravation of having a parasite inside your mouth that you cannot remove (either because you cannot reach it or if you do remove it, you have no tongue and will die), there seems to be no side effects to the fish.  

  There are side effects to me, however, as those things bite...hard!  They are vicious little rascals!  I encounter most of them in my bait bucket.  This time of year, just about every menhaden out there has one of these as their tongue.  Well, let a minnow die in the bait bucket and the parasite immediately detaches itself and goes on the search of a new host.  Since all of the other minnows already house their very own ugly beast, the critter searches for the next best thing...usually my hand. The critter will latch onto your skin and not let go!  Not only do they hurt but the sheer terror of having something that is so creepy embedded on your finger is enough to send a normally sane person into a round of fits.  This afternoon, I was on the pier, shaking my hand like a crazy woman!  

  I had just caught a small redfish.  After unhooking it and releasing it, I reached down to rinse my hand in the bait bucket.  At the same time, my other line started whipping out.  Not thinking, I grabbed the pole with one hand and rinsed the other.  Geez!  The parasite latched onto my finger.  Now I was in a fine fix!  A fish on the line being held with the left hand and a critter attached to the finger on my right.  No matter how much I shook that hand, the parasite was not about to let go.  Ouch!!! That thing hurt!  Finally, I had the good sense to rub my hand against the pier post to dislodge the wee beast!  Whew!  All of that and the fish on the pole was nothing but a catfish!  That did it.  Fishing came to a halt for the day.  

 

Chores first....fishing later

  Pop always used to say that there was never a bad fishing day rather there were days that you just did not catch any fish.  It was his belief that if you had the good fortune to be able to go fishing, it was a grand day indeed.  He told stories of how he and his brothers would skip out on chores to go fishing when they were youngsters.  My grandpa depended upon his boys' help in running the farm and did not tolerate slacking on the job.  Instead of telling Grandpa that they fished, they would tie the fish to a post and retrieve them "after" they did their field work.  It did not take Grandpa long to realize what was happening and he remedied that problem real quick!  Chores first...fishing later.  The love of fishing stayed with Pop and, in his later years, he went most every day.  Usually he caught a good many but even if he did not, he still enjoyed being on the water.  I am much the same. Any day spent fishing is a good day.

  No, I did not spend the day fishing.  I did my chores.  Grandpa would have been proud of me! Actually, I did more than I intended to do when I got up this morning.  It was late afternoon when I finally made my way down to the pier for the final hike of the day.  On a whim, I caught a few minnows and tossed out a line.  Whip!  That line never stopped!  Some fish had definitely wanted that bait!  Second bait and the same thing happened.  This time, a nice trout was landed.  Third bait...another trout.  Well, this was good!  Supper would be fine tonight!  It did not stop there.  Two more trout and a small redfish were hauled onto the pier.  Since the red was a mite small, he got a reprieve and was tossed back into the water.  Then....wham!  Whoa!  This was no trout!  A good five minutes later saw a beauty of a redfish in the scoop net!  My goodness!  This is my kind of fishing!  There was one minnow left in the bucket so the line went out again.  Since there were plenty of fish for two meals now, I set to work cleaning the fish.  The cleaning table on the pier allowed me to clean fish while watching that last line.  Right as I was filleting the big redfish, I noticed the line zipping out from the reel.  The struggle to land this fish was much like the other.  Another twenty-two inch redfish was scooped in the net.  Whew!  I was glad I was out of bait!  I cleaned the last redfish and thought of how fortunate I had been!  In less than an hour,  I had caught plenty of fish for several meals.  Yep, a good day fishing!  

Doing What He Likes!

  Yesterday was Mark's birthday so he spent the entire day doing what he likes best...fishing!  It was perfect!  Bait was easy to catch as the Bay was full of menhaden and little mullet.  That is all it took for us to get "fishin' fever"!  His first throw of the net caught dozens of the nice sized menhaden and a few tiny mullet.  The hooks were baited and cast out into the water.  Then we waited.  It was just a few moments before Mark hooked a nice redfish.  That began the perfect fishing day.

  Catching the menhaden and little mullet to use as bait is an art in itself.  Throwing the net takes skill and a good bit of dexterity.  Folks who grew up here can throw "perfect circles" which is a term to describe perfect form.  If a  fisherman (or fisherwoman!) has a good net, good luck and a lot of proficiency in throwing that net, he (or she) can usually catch enough fish for supper or, at least, enough bait to catch fish on the rod and reel.  Mark has been tossing that net since he was a kid so he knows his stuff!  His aim always provides our bait.

  That old adage "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day but teach him to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime." rings true here on the Coast.  Many fishermen and fisherwomen can trace back their fishing occupations for several generations.  Those who do not fish for a living still enjoy fishing for pleasure. Some say it is in our blood.  I think that may be true.

Well, That Was Awkward!

  Mark and I made a late afternoon hike about the hillside.  Of course, we wound up on the pier and, well, decided that work for the rest of the day was out of the question.  Fishing was calling.  He caught a few menhaden for bait and we tossed the lines.  It did not take long before both lines were zinging out from the reels!  It was beginning to look like a great idea to be fishing....until we landed the fish.  Both were huge catfish.  These were of the hardhead type and not worth keeping as food. We tried again....and again...and again.  Each bait brought up another large catfish.  Since we do not keep these fish to eat, they were gently removed from the hook and tossed back into the water.  Most of the time, the used minnow went over with the fish.  This "baiting" of the waters gathered a rather large number of gulls and terns to the area. Each waited for another free meal.

  It did not take long before we were out of bait.  Mark "fished out" the last bait and, once again, hooked a large catfish.  This time, however, the hook had snagged the fish instead of the fish taking the bait.  The poor thing was hooked in the belly!  Well, that was awkward! Mark removed the hook as gently and painlessly as possible and released this fish as well. Catfish are tough fish and this one will heal soon.  The fish will be feeding again by morning and will hopefully have learned its lesson to stay away from hooks. 

  With the last bait used, our attention turned to the gulls and terns.  One last menhaden was floating near the pier and a few birds were circling overhead.  Hoping to catch the "perfect shot", I got into position and held the camera steady.  Ready, Aim, Shoot!  The first dive of a tern went amiss and the bird flew away with no supper.  Then right behind that one, a tern made a quick dive, snagged the minnow and flew away with all of the other gulls and terns chasing behind.  They all wanted that menhaden!  With millions of the little minnows swimming in the water, it tickled us that the one dead fish was so coveted.  Our show was over as the birds flew southward chasing that single tern.

  When I looked at the photographs that I had taken, the one of the diving bird reminded me of how graceful these birds are while hunting.  Since the minnow was picked up mid-flight and next to the pier, the bird had little room for error.  The little tern handled the situation admirably and never missed a beat as it took off with its prize. Well, that was definitely NOT awkward!  I only hope that after that impressive dive, the tern ate its supper in peace without being harassed by the other seabirds.

Birds!

  With the Bay literally full of menhaden, the fishing is good...for everything.  Mark and I have been catching our share of fish for supper and have even been fortunate enough to catch extras to share with our elderly friends.  Most of these folks used to fish in their younger days but just are not steady enough to go now.  It is our habit to give more fish (all cleaned and bagged) than we keep.  We figure that sharing has multiplied our good catches each day.  Share the blessings and they come back ten fold.  

  Not only are we having good catches but the waterfowl are getting nice and fat.  The pelicans, cormorants and gulls have round bellies!  It is those raucous gulls that amuse us at times as they would rather steal a minnow than catch their own.  We really have to be careful when casting our lines or else the minnow will never reach the water.  More than once, a gull has plummeted from the sky just in time to snatch our bait.  Silly birds!  With the millions of menhaden pipping the surface of the water, it looks as if the birds could find their own meals.  Yet...let me toss over one dead bait and every seagull in the entire Bay area seems to come screaming "Its MINE!"  Time after time, they swoop down almost colliding with me, each other and the pier posts, yet, never once do they hit anything.  The screaming and swooping goes on for a good five minutes before one lucky bird actually dares to dive right next to the pier and scoop up the bait.  Then as that bird takes flight with its prize, all of the other birds give chase.  More oft than not, the lucky bird becomes equally unlucky as it will drop the minnow and the ruckus starts all over again.  

  Today's odd assortment of bird friends, included more migrating cormorants, a few ducks (they stayed far away from the pier), a pair of eagles, one osprey, dozens of pelicans and a mishmash of gulls.  The gulls were the most noticeable since they nearly bombarded me at all times.  Their loud calls, demands for food and constant dive-bombing made fishing a bit uncomfortable.  My time on the pier was cut short due to an infiltration of BIRDS!

 

The Horrible Tongue-eating Critter of the Bayou!

 Yep, it sounds like the title of some horror movie but there are times that you just can't make up this stuff.  As terrifying as it sounds, this critter is real and it does eat tongues.  It, also, then lives on in the mouth and does something even more wild and bizarre.  The critter actually takes over the role of the tongue.  Yep.....ewwww!

  Son and I decided to take a break from our grass-cutting chores and go fishing.  I had a hankering for another redfish and I sure was not going to catch one with the weedeater.  The pier was calling so we just heeded that call no matter how much we really would have rather cut grass.  Once there, he threw the net for a few minnows to use as bait. The menhaden were sparse and it took a number of throws to get enough or, at least, what we thought we would need.  Turns out, we should have stayed back with our chores.  Nary a fish took our bait. Finally, we decided to return up the hillside.  Just as he was unhooking the poor dead minnow, I noticed something fall down upon his jeans' leg.  Hmmm?  That was not good.  I have seen these things far too many times before.  They hurt!  Back in the day, Pop told us that they were some form of a leech.  Well, they do, indeed, act like one because the critters latch onto a finger and just won't let go!  Son, being the calm person he is, just picked the critter up and inspected it.  "Hey, you need to get a picture of this guy." he informed me.  So I did.

  Traipsing back up the hillside, our conversation turned to just exactly what was this critter.  It really did not look like a leech.  This called for a bit of research.  My studies on the critter turned up a little more information than I was comfortable knowing.  Perhaps being in the dark was not such a bad thing.  The critter in question is none other than a Cymothoa exigua.  (Admit it now, you did not know that either!)  It is commonly known as the Tongue-Eating Louse.  (Admit it now, you did not really want to know that, did you?)  The legends are true...there really is a tongue-eating critter out there!  This parasite crawls into the fish's mouth, gnaws off the tongue leaving just a stub, attaches itself with its hind legs, and begins its life as the fish's new tongue.  This allows the fish to eat but, also, allows the louse to readily feed.  This, my friends, is the female of the species.  The male has its gory job as well.  The male attaches himself to the gills of the fish.  These critters stay with the fish for the duration of their (or the fish's) life.  Since Son's bait had died, the female louse abandoned the mouth and plopped out on his leg.  (I am sure the louse was just as surprised as he was about this new arrangement.)  

  There is not a lot that can be done to prevent the infestation of the Cymothoa exiqua.  The critters are in a lot of different fish but are more noticeable in the menhaden since they are small and the critter takes up most of the mouth.  A lot of the fish that are taken as food actually have the parasite in their mouth but since we very rarely examine down the throat of a fish while cleaning it, we have no idea what is loitering in there!  One good thing...these critters are not supposed to attack people other than in self defense.  (I hope!)

  Now that my eerie tale of the Tongue-eaters is told, I just ponder over the many folks that I see playing in the waters of the Bay.  What other unseen critters are lurking beneath those muddy waters? Is there some just as creepy critter waiting to grasp ahold of a human?  Is there anything out there aside from the obvious such as sharks, alligators, stingrays, gars, eels........ok, so that is enough to make me stay on the pier!  Those Horrible Tongue-eating Critters can just keep taking up residence in the fish and leave me alone! (I have to admit, she does have neat looking eyes!)

Proof! I've got PROOF!

  One of the most heard lies....err...statements muttered by a fisherman is "The big one got away!"  Sure, sure...we know...Wink! Wink!  But I have proof!  I have definite proof that a big one did get off my hook!  

  This all started with Mark and me taking a hike about the hillside.  We had no intentions of going fishing but once we made it to the pier, that was all that was on our minds.  With Mark having a sore knee, I threw the net just out of curiosity.  We thought perhaps we might catch a few mullet.  Well, I did catch a mullet but I also caught a few menhaden. Those are the little fish that we use for bait.  That did it!  The call to fish was just too great.  We hurried to get our poles and scoop net.  The fish were waiting!  All of the hooks were baited and tossed out in hopes of catching "the big one".  First, a nibble.  My line wound up under the pier and I missed the fish.  Hmmm?  That was not good.  I recast that pole and noticed a slight wiggle on my other line.  Alrighty, then!  I picked up the pole and eased back just a bit and WHAM!  Splashing and pulling began on the other end!  I had him!  After a brief battle, Mark scooped up my redfish!  We stood and admired the fish for a few moments before I noticed my other line easing out!  FISH!!!  I snagged the next red and had another brief fight with this one.  It tugged a bit harder and splashed a lot more.  When Mark scooped this one, he was more excited than with the last one.  "This one is a lot bigger!"  Yep, when I looked, it was definitely a lot bigger!  Well, we had supper lined up for us!

  Then my other line gave a wiggle.  "I've got another!", I said happily!  I reached for the pole and gave a tug!  Water started splashing and my line started zinging out from the reel!  Ok, so this one was a fighter! Now we were talking fishing!  I reeled...the fish pulled.  I reeled...the fish pulled.  Suddenly, whap!  The line went limp.  Grrr!  I had missed my fish!  I wound in the line. I still had bait but, oh, my goodness!...it was torn to shreds!  That, my friends, was a sign that the big one did, indeed, get away!  So, even though it was a grand surprise to catch a fine mess of fish, the big one got away...really...I have proof!  

Lots of Little Fish, A Sick Dog and a Terrifying Blanket!

Last night was a night of unbelievably bad sleeping!  Not that I was awake by choice but rather I was up most of the night due to things not so pleasant.  Mark and I had made a trip to the pier late yesterday evening to catch a few fish.  Menhaden (our bait of choice) were everywhere and fish were having a wonderful time catching their fill.  As usual, Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, went with us. And, as usual, she ate a number of the small fishy menhaden.  She loves these things!  Raw fish has never been to my liking, personally, so I do not see the allure of her actions.  Still, the wiggly fish seem to delight her..or at least they have in the past.  Perhaps I should say..they still delighted her but not her tummy.  About midnight last night, she got sick.  Violently!  I am really fortunate that the old dog knows to "hold it" until she is outside but those outside breaks kept me hopping all night.

At first, I was a bit bewildered what was happening.  Ms. Ez knows to head to the door when she feels ill and she did just that.  Except things were a bit different this time.  Instead of her leaving her bed behind, the bed went with her!  Let me clarify that her "bed" is not only the normal doggy bed but is layered with three folded blankets.  It is very soft and comfy for an old dog.  Last night when she jumped up to head to the door, her top blanket became tangled on her toenail.  Not good!  Not good indeed!  The poor, old dog who was already feeling strange now had a blanket following her!  Since the blanket was attached to her front paw, she kept stepping on it with her back feet.  This would make her tumble to the floor.  When I first heard this, I had no idea what was happening!  In the pitch blackness of the night, I heard what sounded like a drunk person stumbling in my living room!  I flipped on the light to see a dog stumbling around the room all the while trying not to puke inside the house!  Poor old thing!  Now, I had a choice..open the door and let her drag that blanket down the steps and into the night or try to remove it.  I opted for the removal.  This was going to have to be a quick operation, though, as her heaves were getting stronger by the second!  I grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped a hunk out of the blanket.  Just as I opened the door, she bolted!  Whew!  We made it in time!  That was not the end of the menhaden episode, however.  Thirty-two times I had to fly to open the door for a sick dog!  Between midnight and seven in the morning, I did not even attempt to sleep!  At daybreak, I looked at her and she was sound asleep.  My goodness!  Now that I could not sleep, she was out like a baby!  So, no rest for me!

This evening while on the pier, I mentioned to Mark that Ms. Ez still had a piece of the blanket caught on her toenail.  I had not been able to pull it all the way off because it had actually split the nail and was wedged very tightly.  He reached over and pulled the snippet of rag from her nail with no problems.  Other than a ragged nail, she is none the worse for wear.  Tomorrow, she will get a pedicure!  Me...I am exhausted!  This evening, we made sure that this old dog did not eat any raw fish!