A fish story

Louisiana Marsh--- Because my friend Sharon works with the fishing industry, the first thing we did was go fishing! The alarm went off way too early waking us to be at the boat at 6:30am but it was worth it. We drove to a dock along a canal that looked similar to scenes from the movie Forrest Gump and met Sonny with "Shore Thing Fishing Charters" (ShoreThingCharter.com).

Sonny, a cute mid 30’s guy with a big smile and a tan that proved he lived on the water was born and raised fishing on the MS. Gulf Coast. Capt. Sonny has worked on the water professionally for 11 years and knows these waters like the back of his hand. He scouted the water using funny code names for their charter’s favorite and secret spots when communicating over the radio to another captain. Joining us was a fishing guide from Galveston, Texas there for the same meeting Sharon was attending.

The lights of the morning sky reminded me why I love mornings, especially on the water. It was my first time back on the water since returning from living on a boat two years earlier. We sped away as the morning haze turned to fog over the water.

Sonny steered his sleek 23 foot Hydra Sport Bay Bolt boat like a knife through butter. With water all around the fog closed in but with a steady hand Sonny followed an unseen path towards our destination: the marshes.  Soon swamps appeared in what seemed like miles from land. Tall green and brown grass covered these islands. Various sea birds squawked in the distance. And this is where trout, red fish, unwanted sting-rays and an unwanted catfish were about to be caught.

Being around these fishing pros I really did not want to confess that I had really never caught a fish. As a kid I would take a bamboo pole, a homemade bobber, and the earth worms I had personally dug up in our back yard and walk to Sand Creek in my little Kansas town. (yes, cue the music for the Andy Griffith Show).  There I would sit for hours thinking that one day it would happen and I would bring home a fish. But it never happened.

So when I was handed a reel I just decided to watch Sharon and the guys and try to mimic what everyone else was doing. With a few tips from Sonny my secret was working fine until I had something on my line. Feeling a strong pull,   I pretty much lost my cool and did everything wrong…pole pointed down, screams leaving my mouth and perhaps a cuss word may have slipped out.

But on the other end of my line was my first fish: a 28-1/2 inch Bull Redfish.

Six hours flew by.  Now I understand another great American past time.