Drop Me a Line

A fishing friend has been enjoying the weather lately. Cool nights followed by warm sunny days make the fishing just right. Down at the beach at the close of the day, the fishing poles are lined up with bait buckets, beach chairs and the coolers of refreshments. The fish are running say the reports so they cast out into the waters. Clammers gather buckets and rakes, don waders and wetsuits and step into the flats. The catch of the day is waiting.

The gulls are eager to clean up the beach of any bait bits left lying in the sand. Few gathered at waters' edge with pole and bait claim the prize to take home, it's more of a meditation for many, catch and release. The waves catch the line and send it into the surf, dropping out past the breakers. The poles stuck in the holders bend and sway with the movement.

Out along the horizon, the draggers are slowly plying the waters, nets out, sun sparkling off the wet mast. The water swirls green and blue around the boat, turning it towards the wind. On a calm day, the sound of the engine whining can be heard above the calls of the gulls as they follow the wake.

Tournament fishing continues throughout the year, and the charters remain busy as vacationers look for a trip to deeper waters.  Smiling faces shine out from the newspapers, here is the Catch of the Week, or the Biggest Catch, the headlines state, and the faces show the thrill of the moment. Standing on a bridge, wading into the waters in hip boots, or cruising the shoreline, the devoted fishermen meet their challenge. There is always time to drop a line.