Foggy Fishing on the Beach

I know, for me, the best soul medicine can be found on the beach so even though it was really foggy, I went yesterday morning and found, as always, it was absolutely spectacular in spite of what we humans do to it. 

Excited to get into the soupy grey fog closest to the water’s edge, I paused on the walkover only long enough to get a photo of Mack. Mack’s person mentioned how it was a San Francisco morning out there and I guess he was right about that…lots of fog, certainly. 

I could see my neighbor Dave out in the distance chatting with Cherie Steinberg as they fished, but just barely…the thick fog held them like a heavy sweater. I was anxious to see what the lake held this morning but first checked in with the fishing folk to see what they’d been catching. 

Dave keeps us in Pompano when he is here at the beach. He and his wife are good neighbors to us, helpful, caring and generous. A marvelous fisherman, he passes on his knowledge freely; lots of fish stories to hear about along with theory and technique.

Cherie and her brother-in-law John fish with Dave regularly and using the Sculpin Jigs, they have been pulling in some big fish right alongside him every time I’ve run into them this winter. Cherie is wonderful to watch. She will talk with you sure, she is very kind and has a warm smile, but one eye is always on her line and pole. Her concentration is lovely. This week they caught: gulf whiting, pompano, redfish, black drum and even a northern whiting. During my short time with them, I witnessed Dave and Cherie catch a couple of over the top redfish. Too big, they sent the beautiful creatures back into the surf. Lucky day for everyone.

Dave told me he started tying fish when he was six. “Little Brown Bug” made with moose hair and even though he “never caught a thing with them” he did catch the bug to tie. Spending time here, he invented his pompano float and those floats, and the ability to “read the holes” makes him someone you should talk to if you want fresh fish for dinner. I am here to testify!

Leaving the fishing people, I went on to spend some time with Draper Lake. Between the great dune lake and the Gulf of Mexico, a raven, stark black against the fog was sitting still on his driftwood perch watching the gulf surf like a sentry while a sizable group of my favorite little shorebirds ran back and forth in their usual hectic manner. No matter what the weather, they are always noticeably busy with the important work of food.  Closer to the dunes, another magical moment was harder to see in the fog. 

An army of hundreds of seagulls were lined up from the edge of the lake going eastward for about the length of a football field. A few of them joined a lone duck fishing and one would take off from the group now and then but most the seagulls sat stock still waiting. The industrious duck, looking a little disheveled (maybe even a little nutty), stayed on the lake surface only long enough to get to another dive. It was fun trying to figure out where he would pop up. 

There is always something wonderful  at the shore; the draw is irresistible for so many of God's creatures great and small. Go to the beach on a quiet winter day and you will probably leave wanting to do a better job of coexisting with it. It's pretty clear the best way to live at the beach is to live with it; the "less is more" concept sure seems to work out better in the long run because the lovely dunes and the gulf waters are very wise, just as they are.