I read an entry in golfwidow�s the other morning about Tripp Isenhour killing the Hawk. Yes, it was horrible. It was horrible that he did it, but the story did something to me. It sent me on a guilt trip so fast I didn�t have time to pack. (Wow, sometimes I come out with a good one).
It reminded me of a story. (Doesn't everything?) I used to jig for mackerel at the Portland State Pier in Maine. I don't know if you are familiar with the term or not. It means that there are so many fish that you don't need bait. You just cast out your line and reel in while snapping your wrist up, letting it relax, and then snapping it back again. 1/2 hour before and after high tide you could fill a 5 pound bucket with fish in half an hour.
Clean them up, stick some sliced onions, butter, salt and pepper in them and then wrap them in tinfoil. Toss them on the grill with some corn on the cob and make up a side of potato salad and there was a nice Sunday diner. We ate lots of fish. It wasn't just a sport, it was part of my grocery list in the summer.
One particular day, my then b/f suggested double jigging. That means going up about 18 inches from the hook and putting on a second one. That was fine with me. I had other things to do that day so I was fine with it.
He tied it on for me and I cast it out. One-in-a-zillion odds I beat that day. I would guess that would be the odds of two seagulls flying exactly 18 inches apart horizontally and approximately 4 inches behind. That was how those two hooks were aligned as they came down across the e backs of those two gulls in mid air.
They reached the end of the line (no pun intended, honestly) and immediately dropped like dead weight. My then boyfriend spent the next hour gently jerking the line until both hooks finally made their way out of the backs of the gulls. We couldn�t simply grab them up and take them to the vets, as we were on the dock approximately 10 feet above the water.
I never double jigged after that, though that wasn�t what caused it. In Portland, Maine the gulls are quick, I tell ya. Well, all but two are. I imagine that slowed �em down for a spell, ayuh. I felt so bad, I couldn't eat fish for at least 6 hours.
And just for the record, roadiepig, those were the only two I ever caught and released.
Here is a Youtube video I just happened upon tonight. I don�t know why, but my gut tells me that somewhere along the line, this little pre-schooler is related to poolagirl
Try to watch the whole thing. I think the most visual is at the end.
