Hey, we've got a Birder thread, so no one can complain about a fishing thread, right?
I haven't been fishing in quite a while, but I really love fishing, have done it in a lot of different settings, and have a few good stories. I'd definitely like to do more, but not sure when I will.
I also want to say, I have some reservations about the humaneness of fishing. I'm sure fish feel pain more than anyone wants to imagine, so fishing for sport isn't really a NICE thing to do. But whatever, I grew up doing it, and it's exciting when you're pulling one in.
So, my first story:
My grandmother lived on a little peninsula on Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, Fl. This was back in the 70s mostly. We used to spend a lot of time there, and when I wasn't swimming in her pool or playing with my Evil Knievl toys, I was often fishing from her dock. When we were coming, she used to buy frozen shrimp (pretty expensive and tantalizing bait!), for me to fish with.
The fishing was pretty interesting because I never knew what I was going to pull in. Some of the highlights:
- Red Snapper
- Catfish
- Weird silvery fish
- Crabs that would grab onto the bait
Also, since the water was shallow at the dock, there were also a lot of interesting fish I just saw swimming past: parrot fish, cow fish, groups of blue fish, big pipe fish.
One time I was standing on the sea wall and a big leopard ray swam up then turned around and swam back out. Kind of creepy but cool.
One time I caught something like a snapper, and as I was reeling it in, a big barracuda swam up and swallowed it, then snapped my line.
Anyway, it was a great way to spend days, and I just fell in love with that experience of casting your line, waiting for a tug, and not knowing what you were going to pull up. Good times!
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