The Tiniest Of Tiny!

   Early this morning, Mark and I headed to the pier to catch our lunch.  It has become almost a daily ritual for us to greet the day with a fishing pole in our hands.  We usually wind up with enough fish or crabs from the traps to have a tasty meal but it is purely the time together that makes it worthwhile.  

This morning, I checked the crab traps while he threw the net for bait.  As I plopped one of the traps onto the pier, I noticed something tiny and black in a droplet of water.  Whoa!!  That thing is tiny!  And wiggly!  I pondered what in the world the tiny critter could be.  It was less than a half inch in length and very dark (almost black).  It did have some very slight markings, miniscule fins and cute, beady eyes.  I decided that, since it was completely safe for a few moments out of the water, a photograph was necessary.  As soon as I got my picture, it was time to figure a way to get the critter back into the water without hurting it.  Grabbing it with my hand would most likely squish the tiny being so I needed something to slip under it.  I spied the old knife we keep on the pier...THAT would work!  Carefully...ever so carefully, I slipped the blade near the fish and it wiggled right onto it! In a matter of seconds, fishy was back safe again.  I know Mark probably thought I had gone bonkers spending so much time trying to rescue something you could barely see.  But I DID!

  Reviewing the photograph, confirmed my thoughts that this was a baby pufferfish!  Here, we have the Southern Pufferfish.  Depending on who is doing the talking, these may (or may not) be toxic.  While we were always taught never to eat one, we were always allowed to hold them and watch the critter puff up like a little balloon.  Then, we would carefully put them back in the water to watch the fish bob along like a cork until it deemed it was safe to deflate and swim away.  The wee one today was too small and too fragile to hold so it was carefully returned to the water where it could continue to grow.  Oh, the wonders of the Bayou!  It sure makes me glad I live here!

Is That Bait?

  The other day, Mark and I were fishing on the pier.  While we were in hopes to catch a few fish for our lunch, we were also trying to catch "trash" fish to use as crab bait.  The crab pots were empty and, well, to catch crabs, you have to entice them to go into the traps in the first place.  So any fish we caught would be put to good use.  The first few bites we got were pointless nibbles.  The small fish would hit and miss.  Small nips were taken but not the good "run with it" type bites that result in a setting of the hook.  It appeared that it was to be a slow day fishing.

  Then, my line started going out at a nice pace.  This looked better!  I set the hook and landed a nice sized hard-head catfish.  This was not good for our lunch but the crabs would at least dine well!  After a bit. Mark caught a fish.  I had to tease him a bit because his was a tiny gaff-topsail fish.  "Is that your bait?" I ragged him.  Laughing, he agreed that the tidbit of a fish could very well be used as bait.  After a few photographs, the tiny tot was tossed back into the water and told to grow a bit before coming back!

  It seems that the Bay is full of these tiny gaff-topsails and tiny catfish.  It makes you wonder just how these little ones survive out there with no protection from adult fish.  We humans are so protective of our little ones that it is hard to fathom how other creatures have no maternal/paternal feelings whatsoever for their offspring.  In the wild, there are a lot of critters that would dine upon their own young if given the chance.  The recognition of offspring is just not there.  It is especially so with fish and reptiles.  Those little ones had better move along when it comes to meeting the folks.