"Yes sir.....How may I help you?"
Spring weather and a young man's thoughts turn to fishing. Or finding a second job mowing lawns or packaging bags at the local super market. I always think of the fishing first, which is probably why I am trying to sell the photos I take and not doing physical labor.
I guess in this time and age, I should be thinking more about the work than the fishing. As the economy continues to limp along, second and third jobs seem more the norm than the exception.
Although I will say that some of those people working in the service areas of the economy still take their customers for granted. Two restaurants this weekend (and not high end at that) were absolute disasters for me because of a stupid and arrogant wait persons who did not appreciate their chance to work, nor the customers who were "Expected" to leave a tip. But maybe I should stick with fishing and not be a food critic. Honestly, these people didn't have a clue! Perhaps they are part of almost 50% of the people in this country that depend upon the govt. for a living and just work for fun or to piss off old people like me.
But fishing........Ahhhhh!
No more admirable enterprise according to Sir Isaac Walton. I, while educating some sun fish at Lake Murray, had the opportunity to entice one onto a "Woolly Bugger" fly using my $600 plus fly fishing outfit. The rod and reel certainly up to the task of the tiny creature.
Remember to click or double click on the photos for better resolution.
Whilst "Playing" (a little fishing lingo there) a small sunfish I was struck by a long torpedo shape image that shot out of the shadows and grabbed my poor sunny amidships.
The fight was on! My fly line was quickly disappearing from the reel and the backing (back up line used for emergencies only behind the real fly line) was showing to be insufficient as well. This was far better than arguing with an incompetent waiter. The fish was close to three feet long and while not in the same category of fight as the acrobatic salmon or tarpon, it certainly could have taken two hundred yards of line and left me there looking the fool. (Again)
For those of you that really care this was a Gar Fish. In the above case, rounding up some shad for dinner. Wikepedia says this...
In American English the name gar (or garpike) is strictly applied to members of the Lepisosteidae, a family including seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters of eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands.
Fortunately I practice catch and release fishing. That is, I don't kill em and grill em like my idol Ted Nugent.
In this case it was a good thing because that fish is 98% bone and two percent fish scales.
To make a long story short, the poor sunfish was pretty mauled by the 8 trillion teeth the gar has in it's head and did make a meal for the big fish after it dropped off my line. That's call the "Long Distance Release or LDR", which I practice as well. In other words he got off. I saved my fishing equipment, hand an adrenalin rush, and the gar had dinner. The sunfish had the satisfaction of confirming he was part of the food chain. Actually not a bad experience all around. Unless of course your the sunfish.
If the gar had been a tuna, I might have considered keeping it. But one cannot often catch wild tuna too much west of Myrtle Beach.
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