A reel fun fishing story...

My husband Bruce is really into fishing these days so he gets out there almost every day. Fishing from boats is not new to him but he hasn't done it for many years and shore fishing is a different skill set. So, as with every new adventure, there is a learning curve. Every time he goes out he comes home with another story about something that happened to a knot, a hook, a line, or the jig, or the lure, or the reel...something always happens. And, there is often the proverbial story of the one that got away. He is very enthusiastic about all of it. This morning he came home with a really good story. Well, not good for everyone but here it is. He started out fishing Little Redfish Lake but it had opened up and what he wanted that had been trapped there had gotten back out to the gulf so he moved over to the gulf side. He got a good cast out past the sandbar and got a hit pretty quickly.  Whatever it was, it had some fight. It would be fun trying to bring it in. So he's out there, in thigh-deep water backing up toward shore as he reels it in. He gets it close enough to see the fish working hard in the shallows and he felt confident he would be getting this fish over the finish line but then out of the corner of his eye, he sees the deliberate dive of an equally determined osprey.  A second later the fearless osprey has it's breakfast firmly in his talons; the fish still hooked on the line. Bruce opens the bale and lets the line go. He had no experience with and there was no time to ponder. He didn't want it to tug the osprey mid-flight so until he could cut the line, up it went. Then, in another instant, thank goodness, the lure dropped. Down it went hitting the water with a plop and a splash. Bruce reeled in the line watching the osprey gracefully heading toward the lake where it lives. Then, like it forgot something, the beautiful raptor turned back and flew over Bruce's head like it was showing off the prize. Bruce thinks the fish was a Spanish Mackerel and chances are he would have let it go. So the sad part of the story is that it didn't end well for the fish. While it wasn't a totally honest catch for the Osprey, it was a solid win and a great story for Bruce to come home with.

Hope you enjoyed this fish story and that I described it adequately.  An osprey is always wonderful to see and this one was one from the pair we see regularly over Blue Mountain Beach. Seeing their distinct shape circling high in the sky is always a happy occasion while enjoying a morning beach walk. It's not at all unusual to see them catch a fish and carry it home. I would have been a nervous Nelly watching all this excitement in real-time but after it was over, wow, what a sight to have seen and selfishly, I might have gotten a really great photo.