By Myra Starkey
Last weekend, Taylor and I went fishing in Rockport. We are not experts in this pastime.
In fact, the only fish I caught in the past year was with my friend, Clay. When I say I caught a fish I mean that I only caught one stinking fish. It was a decent size redfish that I caught while wading using a chunk of fresh-cut mullet.
That was a year ago, and I haven't caught a fish since.
Lately, fishing has been on my mind since the weather is cooling and a day on the water fishing is just what I needed for some relaxation.
I mentioned to my co-workers at the clinic on Friday that I was going to go fishing. They are aware that I don't know how to fish.
They returned from their lunch hour with artificial bait that would surely put me at the top of my game.
Lisa bought me fishing tape, which looks like a strip of bubble gum and purports to keep the "stink off your hands and in the water," which is apparently a desirable trait for bait.
Jennifer brought me the equivalent of stinky rubber fish, which looked like they were mired in a clear gooey liquid. Upon opening the container I realized why the unscented fish tape was so popular.
With bait in hand I was ready for a weekend of catching fish. My friend, Susan, joined us for the weekend in Rockport. She, Taylor and I set out with an ice chest full of ice, fishing rods, a tackle box and my sure-to-catch-em bait.
Saturday morning was beautiful. The water was several shades of blue and green and the sky was full of puffy clouds. The air was crisp, so a day on the water required an extra layer of clothes.
We had all the gear plus a live bait well in our boat stocked with small mullet.
For me, I was going with the stinky artificial stuff. Another good reason for using the artificial bait is that you don't have to hook the little frantic mullet behind their fins and watch them wriggle and writhe on the hook.
This has always bothered me so I usually allow Taylor to perform this task and try not to think about it as I cast my line into the water.
I first used the stinky rubber fish, which was pink and white and looked real when it was in the water. Immediately, my cork went under and I let out a whoop but it was short lived and up came the cork. Down the cork plunged again, and I reeled it in only to find the rubber tail missing from the fish.
Susan is a better fisherwoman than me, so I was eager to hear her pointers. She offered a few, like not constantly reeling in my line and how to avoid the bird nest tangle, which is inevitable if you are me.
I threw the fake fish back in and sniffed. The bad smell was coming from my fingers, which were beyond stinky after handling the lure. Despite the fact that I tried to wash them in the water they remained fragrant like I had dipped them in rotten fish sauce.
After about a half hour of my cork going under and resurfacing without catching a fish, I was ready to move locations. Taylor and Susan were using live bait and having no luck either so off we went to another fishing area a little farther down the Intracoastal.
I should mention at this point that we didn't know exactly where the fish were. We were looking for other boats with fisherman who appeared to be attentive and excited and would pull up in their general vicinity. If they looked bored there was no need to share in their lack of success.
Once in the past, when I noticed two guys pulling in one fish after another I begged Taylor to pull up beside them so I could ask what bait they were using. His reply, "That's against fishing etiquette," so I never found out their secret.
Our next location yielded the same results despite the fact that I changed to fishing tape. This bright pink strip attracted lots of fish who chewed on it until it was just a nub, but none of the nibblers were large enough to swallow the hook.
Taylor enjoys fishing. I mainly just like catching. I must admit the three of us were having so much fun despite the fact that the ice chest remained empty. It is often said that an expert is someone who only has to know more than you, so Susan was the expert in regards to fishing since she has been so often.
Susan announced that she was going to get out of the boat and wade fish thinking that being in the water with the fish might change her luck. She had on stingray boots and so she was outfitted for the "in water" experience.
I also had boots however was a little unsure of the dangers lurking below the murky water. I feared there might be some leviathan who loved stinky rubber fish and I certainly did not want to have to reel that in while I was in the same water with the creature.
I found safety in the boat not to mention that it contained all the drinks and snacks.
While Susan was waist deep in the cold water, Taylor and I had blue cheese and crackers, turkey and provolone cheese and a sparkling water.
I put my rod in the holder on the boat and relaxed while I nibbled. I saw the cork going under many times in the next hours as the creatures below also only nibbled.
Nothing swallowed my bait, so I passed the time daydreaming and looking at the brown pelicans that soared overhead. Several dolphin swirled near us, which is a sign that there were fish but maybe not the kind I hoped to catch.
Once Susan got back in the boat we ventured over to a patch of beach where shells had washed up and although I am a lousy fisherman I am great at finding interesting seashells. The three of us went in different directions each returning with beach treasures. I found olive shells and a large whelk, and Susan found at least a vase full of all sorts. We waded back to the boat and resumed our fishing adventure.
Next, we fished in shallow water with lots of sea grass and mud. I felt a pull and reeled in a large mass of sea grass, which had wound itself around my rubber fishing lure. This location proved to be better because when I reeled in my lure the next time the entire body of the rubber fish had been eaten. The cunning fish was wise enough to avoid the hook, except not so smart for eating a rubber fish.
I went home empty handed. Susan and Taylor fished as hard as me, perhaps harder, as I stopped multiple times for snacks. Fishing makes me hungry.
The three of us had to stop by the grocery store on the way home and pick up our catch of the day.
Susan and I wanted to try out my new spiralizer so I loaded all kinds of vegetables in my cart. A spiralizer is a type of kitchen gadget that cuts the vegetables in curly strings. I bought one in Houston last weekend and planned to make zucchini pasta with a red sauce. I was quite sure the zucchini would taste nothing like angel hair pasta. It is worth a try because I am trying to cut out white, starchy food from my diet. My doctor/husband swears that starches are the reason for weight gain, and I am willing to give it a try.
The spiralizer worked, and Susan and I were making mounds of the spaghetti-like strands from the zucchini.
I roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic and made a red sauce and served it with salmon caught somewhere by real fisherman with a lot of luck.
Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.
Source: https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2014/nov/04/fishing-is-not-all-about-catching-fish/
Last weekend, Taylor and I went fishing in Rockport. We are not experts in this pastime.
In fact, the only fish I caught in the past year was with my friend, Clay. When I say I caught a fish I mean that I only caught one stinking fish. It was a decent size redfish that I caught while wading using a chunk of fresh-cut mullet.
That was a year ago, and I haven't caught a fish since.
Lately, fishing has been on my mind since the weather is cooling and a day on the water fishing is just what I needed for some relaxation.
I mentioned to my co-workers at the clinic on Friday that I was going to go fishing. They are aware that I don't know how to fish.
They returned from their lunch hour with artificial bait that would surely put me at the top of my game.
Lisa bought me fishing tape, which looks like a strip of bubble gum and purports to keep the "stink off your hands and in the water," which is apparently a desirable trait for bait.
Jennifer brought me the equivalent of stinky rubber fish, which looked like they were mired in a clear gooey liquid. Upon opening the container I realized why the unscented fish tape was so popular.
With bait in hand I was ready for a weekend of catching fish. My friend, Susan, joined us for the weekend in Rockport. She, Taylor and I set out with an ice chest full of ice, fishing rods, a tackle box and my sure-to-catch-em bait.
Saturday morning was beautiful. The water was several shades of blue and green and the sky was full of puffy clouds. The air was crisp, so a day on the water required an extra layer of clothes.
We had all the gear plus a live bait well in our boat stocked with small mullet.
For me, I was going with the stinky artificial stuff. Another good reason for using the artificial bait is that you don't have to hook the little frantic mullet behind their fins and watch them wriggle and writhe on the hook.
This has always bothered me so I usually allow Taylor to perform this task and try not to think about it as I cast my line into the water.
I first used the stinky rubber fish, which was pink and white and looked real when it was in the water. Immediately, my cork went under and I let out a whoop but it was short lived and up came the cork. Down the cork plunged again, and I reeled it in only to find the rubber tail missing from the fish.
Susan is a better fisherwoman than me, so I was eager to hear her pointers. She offered a few, like not constantly reeling in my line and how to avoid the bird nest tangle, which is inevitable if you are me.
I threw the fake fish back in and sniffed. The bad smell was coming from my fingers, which were beyond stinky after handling the lure. Despite the fact that I tried to wash them in the water they remained fragrant like I had dipped them in rotten fish sauce.
After about a half hour of my cork going under and resurfacing without catching a fish, I was ready to move locations. Taylor and Susan were using live bait and having no luck either so off we went to another fishing area a little farther down the Intracoastal.
I should mention at this point that we didn't know exactly where the fish were. We were looking for other boats with fisherman who appeared to be attentive and excited and would pull up in their general vicinity. If they looked bored there was no need to share in their lack of success.
Once in the past, when I noticed two guys pulling in one fish after another I begged Taylor to pull up beside them so I could ask what bait they were using. His reply, "That's against fishing etiquette," so I never found out their secret.
Our next location yielded the same results despite the fact that I changed to fishing tape. This bright pink strip attracted lots of fish who chewed on it until it was just a nub, but none of the nibblers were large enough to swallow the hook.
Taylor enjoys fishing. I mainly just like catching. I must admit the three of us were having so much fun despite the fact that the ice chest remained empty. It is often said that an expert is someone who only has to know more than you, so Susan was the expert in regards to fishing since she has been so often.
Susan announced that she was going to get out of the boat and wade fish thinking that being in the water with the fish might change her luck. She had on stingray boots and so she was outfitted for the "in water" experience.
I also had boots however was a little unsure of the dangers lurking below the murky water. I feared there might be some leviathan who loved stinky rubber fish and I certainly did not want to have to reel that in while I was in the same water with the creature.
I found safety in the boat not to mention that it contained all the drinks and snacks.
While Susan was waist deep in the cold water, Taylor and I had blue cheese and crackers, turkey and provolone cheese and a sparkling water.
I put my rod in the holder on the boat and relaxed while I nibbled. I saw the cork going under many times in the next hours as the creatures below also only nibbled.
Nothing swallowed my bait, so I passed the time daydreaming and looking at the brown pelicans that soared overhead. Several dolphin swirled near us, which is a sign that there were fish but maybe not the kind I hoped to catch.
Once Susan got back in the boat we ventured over to a patch of beach where shells had washed up and although I am a lousy fisherman I am great at finding interesting seashells. The three of us went in different directions each returning with beach treasures. I found olive shells and a large whelk, and Susan found at least a vase full of all sorts. We waded back to the boat and resumed our fishing adventure.
Next, we fished in shallow water with lots of sea grass and mud. I felt a pull and reeled in a large mass of sea grass, which had wound itself around my rubber fishing lure. This location proved to be better because when I reeled in my lure the next time the entire body of the rubber fish had been eaten. The cunning fish was wise enough to avoid the hook, except not so smart for eating a rubber fish.
I went home empty handed. Susan and Taylor fished as hard as me, perhaps harder, as I stopped multiple times for snacks. Fishing makes me hungry.
The three of us had to stop by the grocery store on the way home and pick up our catch of the day.
Susan and I wanted to try out my new spiralizer so I loaded all kinds of vegetables in my cart. A spiralizer is a type of kitchen gadget that cuts the vegetables in curly strings. I bought one in Houston last weekend and planned to make zucchini pasta with a red sauce. I was quite sure the zucchini would taste nothing like angel hair pasta. It is worth a try because I am trying to cut out white, starchy food from my diet. My doctor/husband swears that starches are the reason for weight gain, and I am willing to give it a try.
The spiralizer worked, and Susan and I were making mounds of the spaghetti-like strands from the zucchini.
I roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic and made a red sauce and served it with salmon caught somewhere by real fisherman with a lot of luck.
Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.
Source: https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2014/nov/04/fishing-is-not-all-about-catching-fish/
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