Fish On
Last night S & I went out to the pond for an idle evening of fishing & drinking. We both were catching a few little bluegills here & there and I had managed to pull in a little bass. Pete came down to chat us up & offer his fishing wisdom. I was angling amongst some cattails while Pete & S stood about 20 feet down the bank from me when S cast his line & IMMEDIATELY something big struck it. Rather than the dolphin-like dive of a bass, the fish rolled up out of the water, revealing a soft white underbelly.
"Why, I believe you've hooked a catfish!" Pete exclaimed. I had come to the same conclusion & was already off my precarious perch on a concrete run-off & down the bank to watch S battle the big fish. He only started fishing when we got together, and had never landed a catfish, so it was very exciting. It was also very exciting for Pete because he'd never seen a catfish caught in his pond before.
S let his drag out ever so slightly at Pete's direction - our poles are not rigged to deal with big fish, but the usual small bass & panfish that we normally get into. He managed to reel the cat all the way up to the edge of the bank when *snap* the line broke. All four of us, including the catfish, were quite stunned. The cat just sort of lay in the moss against the bank. A split second later, I had leapt on top of it, beating Pete to the punch, and wrestled it up on the bank. I couldn't let S's first catfish swim back out without being officially caught! The fish was a good size beast in the 3 to 4 pound range & easily a foot and a half long with a big fat belly. And it was a slimy bastard, too. Catfish have notoriously tough mouths - I tried to yank the hook out, but then I had a better idea.
"S, I'll hold him. YOU take the hook out." He looked a little nervous for a second - his fear of the big spines on the fish were combatting with his machismo. I think the whiskers might've weirded him out a bit, too. Then, he must've decided that I had a good enough grip on the thing & knelt down to attempt the hook removal. He ended up snapping the hook, but that's okay - he needed a few minutes to recover from the shock of such a catch, especially at this little pond. We admired the ugly, magnificent, grumping fish for a few minutes longer & then I wrapped both hands behind his pectoral fins, locking them behind those perilous spines & put him back down in the water where he thrashed away with a powerful wave of his tail.
Pete was congratulatory to both of us - I think he views us as his "kids" & loves that we put into action all the advice he gives us. He warned me about the spines, to which I had to relate that I'd been dealing with catfish since I could walk, if not before, as well as snapping turtles & snakes. And, (knock on wood) I've never been jabbed or bitten by any of these creatures. Well, snakes, but fortunately no poisonous ones. Pete looked at us admiringly & said, "You two are a good team. A very good team."
And, a compliment for me: "Sure isn't any fear in that girl's eyes!" Which I hope redeems me from all my girly cringing over waxworms & grubs.
"Why, I believe you've hooked a catfish!" Pete exclaimed. I had come to the same conclusion & was already off my precarious perch on a concrete run-off & down the bank to watch S battle the big fish. He only started fishing when we got together, and had never landed a catfish, so it was very exciting. It was also very exciting for Pete because he'd never seen a catfish caught in his pond before.
S let his drag out ever so slightly at Pete's direction - our poles are not rigged to deal with big fish, but the usual small bass & panfish that we normally get into. He managed to reel the cat all the way up to the edge of the bank when *snap* the line broke. All four of us, including the catfish, were quite stunned. The cat just sort of lay in the moss against the bank. A split second later, I had leapt on top of it, beating Pete to the punch, and wrestled it up on the bank. I couldn't let S's first catfish swim back out without being officially caught! The fish was a good size beast in the 3 to 4 pound range & easily a foot and a half long with a big fat belly. And it was a slimy bastard, too. Catfish have notoriously tough mouths - I tried to yank the hook out, but then I had a better idea.
"S, I'll hold him. YOU take the hook out." He looked a little nervous for a second - his fear of the big spines on the fish were combatting with his machismo. I think the whiskers might've weirded him out a bit, too. Then, he must've decided that I had a good enough grip on the thing & knelt down to attempt the hook removal. He ended up snapping the hook, but that's okay - he needed a few minutes to recover from the shock of such a catch, especially at this little pond. We admired the ugly, magnificent, grumping fish for a few minutes longer & then I wrapped both hands behind his pectoral fins, locking them behind those perilous spines & put him back down in the water where he thrashed away with a powerful wave of his tail.
Pete was congratulatory to both of us - I think he views us as his "kids" & loves that we put into action all the advice he gives us. He warned me about the spines, to which I had to relate that I'd been dealing with catfish since I could walk, if not before, as well as snapping turtles & snakes. And, (knock on wood) I've never been jabbed or bitten by any of these creatures. Well, snakes, but fortunately no poisonous ones. Pete looked at us admiringly & said, "You two are a good team. A very good team."
And, a compliment for me: "Sure isn't any fear in that girl's eyes!" Which I hope redeems me from all my girly cringing over waxworms & grubs.
posted by RCSure | 12:11 PM
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