Morning fishing
May 29, 2006
Fishing at the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri is a real joy, even when the bass are laid back and not biting. I never know what I will run across. This morning I lowered the boat into the water just as the sun was poking up over the oak trees that line the shoreline. The water was like glass, and it was too early for the water skiers and waverunners to be out.
As I silently boated past the front of some boat docks lining a sleepy little cove not too far away, I was startled by a loud splash. Looking back I saw a black labrador retriever dog-paddling (what else?) toward me. I thought for a moment that he was going to join me in the boat, but he was just out for his morning swim and looking for company. I became a little concerned that he would catch his trailing tail in the trolling motor prop, so I turned it off when he got too close. He tried to bark at me but got water in his nose and thought better of it. After a few minutes he peeled off and headed back toward his home dock. I gave him a companiable wave and turned my attention back to fishing.
After a while I noticed that I had company again; this time it was a trio of longnose “Billy Gar” about three feet long and swimming just below the surface of the emerald clear water. They were swimming fin to fin in close triangle formation. Like dolphins, they were diving under the boat and surfacing on the other side, always maintaining formation. It’s their spawning season, and the female gar had attracted a pair of eager wingmen. Why didn’t I bring my camera?
Then, as I moved my boat in toward the shore to cast my worm up against the bank, I spotted a large Blue Heron looking for his breakfast. The Herons are a common sight around here, usually being seen skimming the wavetops as the fly across a cove, barking Heron indignations as their huge wings flap away. I often see them fishing for their breakfast around boat docks, an interesting process indeed. Little Bluegill, not the smartest of fish, cruise the shallows and are literally stalked by Blue Heron, who stand motionless on spindly legs in shallow water near the shore, neck stretched way out, patiently watching the water. When breakfast swims within range, the long beak darts down and comes up with the hapless Bluegill caught crossways at the tip of the heron’s beak.
What to do, Mr. Heron says? “If I open my beak I lose my breakfast. How do I get the fish heading down into my gullet?”
Not to worry. Like a magician, Mr. Heron twitches his beak and like a flash the fish is inside the long neck heading southward. I know, because I can see a wiggling lump in his neck working its way down. How does he do that?
And the fishing? Possibly because I had too many diversions, the fishing was slow. But it wasn’t boring.
Dave, doing a lot of fishing but not much catching.
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Nice description of your morning out fishing, Dad. We have a displaced(?) blue heron at the lake at MC. They’re interesting birds. The lake has some gorgeous koi swimming around in it too, which is a nice diversion in a busy day. Ain’t summer great?
So that’s where he went! Please send the poor, confused guy back.
Koi are just Carp in drag, doncha know.