Fishing is a way of life when you live on a bayou. Seafood is a staple in our diets and catching it fresh is a necessity. Even though, we depend on the waters to supply a good portion of our daily meals, our fishing gear is pretty basic. A good fisherman does not need fancy gear. A lot of folks may ridicule how we live and how we fish but we get the job done and do it well. Our fishing is for fun and food not to put a big show for others. So, the basic gear is usually a cast net to catch bait, a sturdy rod and reel and a couple of packs of "accessories" such as hooks, sinkers and swivels. Oh, and a scoop net for when you catch a big fish and a good, sharp fillet knife. That is about it. There is not even the need for an expensive boat. The pier works fine. Even with the simple gear, we catch our fair share of fish and even have plenty to share with our elderly friends.
That said, sometimes that gear can present problems. Just yesterday, I had to use my fishing pole in a way in which it was never intended. The day started out like any other. I threw the cast net five times from the end of the pier. Here the water is deeper and larger mullet run near the pier. Those mullet were to be bait and shared with my friendly heron(s)....another story for another day. Still, I needed a few smaller mullet just in case the fish were not biting the six inch long ones. So, I walked up the pier to the "cut". This is a place where the marsh is cleared into a tide pool of sorts. The otter runs were carved to the main Bayou which feeds the area with fresh water and plenty of little fish. The first throw went well but the second was when things went awry. I threw the net as usual but as soon as it left my hands, I knew something was terrible wrong. It did not "feel" right. It was then that I realized that the rope draw line on the net was slack. Hmmm? I pulled the rope thinking the net would follow. Nope, my perfect circle of netting stayed in the shallow water. All that came was the rope handline. The large metal swivel that connects the rope to the bag strings had broken leaving the net far out in the water. Well, now! That would never work! Ponder, ponder.
It took just one cast of the reel to snag the net. Gently, ever so gently, I pulled the netting toward me. I did not want to risk ripping the fine webbing. Once, I got the net in hand, it was an easy task to haul it on the pier. I even had 10 little mullet still caught in the net! Now comes the chore of mending the cast net. I am glad Pop taught me many things about living on the water, about how to live simply yet happily and about how to use a bit of ingenuity when needed.
There comes a time when all things must go to their proper homes. Yep, I do believe that time has come. Since both my oldest son and my daughter have met their soulmates, married and moved into their own homes, it is high time that all of their belongings move with them. (My daughter-in-law and my son-in-law will probably cringe at the thought!) I have come to the conclusion that the Little Bayou House would not be near so cluttered if it were not that I am storing stuff that is not mine. It is time...it is high time...that this stuff moves. Yes, a lot of it was being tossed when they left here and I admit that I salvaged it. I pulled things that I thought they would like to have somewhere down the line. These items had some special meaning to them when they were younger and it might have the same special meaning as they age. Even if it is only for a bit of nostalgia, things can be revisited at some point in life and have a whole new value. For instance, a few (very few) things that I had as a youngster have over the years found their way back into my possession. The memories that were held by these items are priceless. These things are from a time past....a time that will never be again. The cobwebs in the corners of my brain get shuffled about a bit when I touch some long-lost bit of my childhood. I hope the things that I saved serve a hefty bit of nostalgia to my kids when I bestow the gifts of things past to them.
There are two things that my son might actually enjoy seeing once again. One is a tiny rod and reel that was his very first. No, this is not one of the toy type reels that kids use today. This is an actual rod and reel....small but real. We bought this for him when he was a little over three years old. He used to go fishing a lot with my dad and used a hand line. He caught so many fish using that piece of string that we figured it was time to upgrade to a real pole. He loved it and learned to use it quickly. With this tiny rod and reel, the kid caught some pretty huge fish!
The other item is a small net. An elderly gentleman that was Pop's good friend used to talk with my son when he was just a tyke. One day, he told my son to stand tall and let him get a measurement. We had no idea what he was up to with this bit if information but fully trusted the old man. Mr. Rosetti had been a fisherman for all of his life and he wanted to do something to help instill the love of fishing in our little boy. A few days later, he came back to Pop's house and was carrying a brown paper bag. He was grinning from ear to ear when he handed the bag to my little boy. Inside was a homemade brail net. It was perfect! He informed us that to be a good one, a net should be just a bit taller than the person throwing it. This is why he measured our son. He wanted to make a net that was just his size. The net is one of the old style cotton nets and not like the new monofilament types of today. My son learned to throw the net and soon could catch bait or shrimp with the best fishermen. His net was one of his favorite gifts he ever received. How could I toss this thing to the wayside when he outgrew it. The thing has lasted all of these many years. Many little kids that have visited the Bayou over the years have learned to throw a net using this very one. I am in hopes that my son will now teach his little ones the fine art of brail net casting.
I am also in hopes that the net and the rod and reel will bring back many fond memories. That will make all of those years that I stored the thing well worth the trouble. Most likely, most of the things I saved really should be tossed but that will have to be up to my kids...not me. I just do not have the heart to do it. Not after some thirty years of storing the things?....not at all.
I started to write tonight about happenings on the Bayou but then I was told a story that just needed to be told. I so wish I had been there to witness this first hand but, since that was impossible, I have to revel in the story told by my son. It seems that he and my sweet daughter-in-law bought a Disney Princess fishing rod and reel for my granddaughter. She is all of two years old and I can only imagine she loved it merely because of the Disney logo or perhaps because it was pink. She is at that age where she is attracted to bright pretty things without really knowing what they are. Still, Daddy being an avid fisherman and with both grandfathers being avid fishermen, she would soon learn the finer points of using her new tool.
Being the good daddy that he is, Mark took his little girl fishing in the pond behind their house. He carefully cast the tiny line out into the water and handed the pole to his baby girl. He said that she immediately started reeling the line back in when he realized that there was a fish tugging on the end of the line! First cast and this baby girl already had a fish! With a little help from Dad to set the hook, Mary Ruth was catching her first fish. She reeled and reeled on that little contraption and just when the fish was getting near, it made a turn a reedy area. The fish was smart enough to get the line entangled but Dad was determined that his little girl was going to land this fish! He told me that he thought "Oh, we got this far! You are not getting away now!" He allowed a bit of line to loosen from the reel before handing it back to Mary Ruth. This gave the fish just enough leeway to break free from the grass and the fight was on again! He kept telling her "Reel, reel, reel!" She did! She turned that wee handle as fast as she could! When the fish was close enough to shore, Daddy reached down and pulled it ashore! Mary Ruth had her fish! AND WHAT A FISH! It weighed almost four pounds!
Mark said that if you ask her what type fish she caught she answers with "A REALLY BIG FISH!" So there you have it, Folks...a teeny, little girl caught a REALLY BIG FISH! Yep, this little girl is a great fisherman just like her daddy and two grandfathers! (I would just like to see them catch something that is this large on a Disney Princess Rod and Reel! In comparison of this fish to her size, that would be like one of them landing a forty pound or larger fish! Hmmmm? I think this wee tot could teach them a thing or two! Way to go, Mary Ruth!)
