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Date: Cowpie
Title: 4/22/05
Date: 25 Apr 2005
Time: 23:09:58 -0400
Cow Pie Thirty seven point four nautical miles offshore a bird circled my boat. It was an exhausted cattle egret. We were his last ditch effort before a kamikaze dive in the Gulf. Against natural instinct, he did a faltered, three-toed landing on the bow railing. It was certain death or deal with the eight people milling around the fishing boat. He wisely chose the people option. We gave him personal space to let him rest and get comfortable with us. He joined us around two thirty in the afternoon. After his arrival, we fished here and there in a two to four mile line toward shore, for an hour so, while bouncing in a two to three foot hard chop. When we moved, he would either ride with us having wings and feathers fluttering or fly off and follow tight behind. Re-landing each time we stopped. I named that cattle egret “Cow Pie”. I figured that cattle bird had found itself in a world of ‘pie’ that far offshore. It was honoring to have a wild bird trust me for over an hour even though its choices where very limited. It came time to head for the hill. We took a few moments to collect ourselves together before directing the bow toward the number one channel marker at Steinhatchee. Would Cow Pie take the ride? Cow Pie was perched in front of the T-top like a ram head on a Dodge truck. Tucked in and ready to ride, I ran Cow Pie in on a twenty knot forward motion with a following sea giving him a ten knot or so face wind with a carousel ride on the Twin Vee catamaran. The ride in wasn’t bad at all, nonetheless, three times the bird released its death grip. Cow Pie would blow off to stern and I’d slow the boat to let him fly back. When the boat slowed, the folk, asleep on the bean bags, would raise up and I’d explain that Cow Pie lost his grip and we had to re-do to let him back in. No problem, get Cow Pie back. It was nice to have fine people appreciate what I was doing for a silly bird. Anyway, at channel marker seven, Cow Pie got an eye full of land. He lit off to the north side of the river, ahead of the boat. No thank you, just unsaid thankfulness. His white feathers flashed every now and then in the setting sun before plopping down on the first oyster key. I imagine Cow Pie felt good and I know we felt better. It seems silly to worry about a misdirected bird considering that many a bird is blown off course with the east winds and dies at sea. But life is a circle of events or opportunities. We, life, are on a ball whirling about a fire ball spinning about in a universe orbiting the unknown. The mite of time spent with Cow Pie was worth the gig. Things come around. We spin. That day I grabbed a faltered feather and it will come around again, perhaps in different form. Good grouper are biting on hard bottom from 45 to 72 feet from my dealings with them. Live bait is best but fresh dead lizard fish or pink mouth grunt slabs are doing well. Frozen Spanish sardines or herring are catching fish as well. Trolling will bring in a fine cooler of fish if you want an easy day. Trolling plug colors have been mixed to the point that it just don’t matter. Get the lure in front of the fish and it will happen. Oops, king fish bonus on the troll (keep one to put fresh steaks on the grill). Large pods of bait fish are fluttering from 30 to 43 feet on smooth days. Spring has finally sprung. Run the large spoons or jigs with bait strips back on way to the grouper grounds to get a shot a king fish. It’s worth the time. Trout seem to be volunteering to the fish cleaning table. Capt. Steve Kroll told me today, four foot of water near Pepperfish Keys and south is producing the trout on jigs of various colors. You don’t have to be Einstein to catch trout bouncing a jig in grass four foot deep. Give it a try! Flounder lovers listen up!!! Bop a strip bait in the sand zones of spotty bottom to catch some good flat fish. Look for the sand holes, yellow bottom, on the grass flats and work it with a jig head pinned to a chunk of mullet or pinfish. Redfish are being caught on the rocks and oyster beds along the shoreline. If the water is clear, long cast are necessary to catch the fish because you can see the target and they can see you, if you’re close. Spoons, jigs, cut bait and shrimp are great baits. Give them a toss. Thanks for reading. Take care of yourself and the tackle. Capt. B