We quickly and quietly make our way over the fence and back to civilization. There are sighs of relief muttered. There are high fives thrown. There are swear words spoken. We curse the Fish Gods for driving us out as the bite was picking us. We demand satisfaction. We consider what to do next. We make it back to our cars. It is 2:30 am.
The night is too young, and the stakes are too high to give up now. We decide it time to hammer some spotties. I have a special idea. FishTrick arrives first and starts fishing. Out of sight and out of mind, I prepare my secret. I walk up to FishTrick with a huge grin on my face and a float tube on my back. High fives are thrown.
On go the waders and then the fins. I slip into the water like a snake and quietly float out into the marina. I cannot remember the last time I fished with the float tube so the sensations are a bit overwhelming. It is a whole different game fishing from a float tube on the water than fishing while standing on the bank, especially with the addition of current. I am constantly moving and it is hard to work the lure the way I want. It is harder to cast from the lower position and am constantly getting hung up on the bank rocks. And once caught, I am forced to pull myself over to the snag to release myself.
Soon, I am more comfortable and am surprised when I haven't gotten a bite. The whole time, I've been working up current in between a dock and the bank. I have been trying to run my 3" swimbait (Sexy Smelt) parallel to the rocks. I reach the dock gate which has a ramp that joins it to the dock. It hovers about four feet over my head forming a bridge. I make a beautiful underarm roll-cast underneath the bridge directly to the edge of the dock. It's one of those perfect casts where you're sure that, if you're going to get a bite, it'll be with that cast. I lower my tip and allow the lure to hit the bottom. I do my hop-swim technique as I retrieve the lure back. About two or three swims in, on the drop, I get a bite. With a couple of quick turns and a long swing, I set the hook and the Serpent takes over.
Immediately, I am being pulled forward, against the current, towards the gate pilings. I start kicking as I lift my rod and wrestle the fish away from the sharp rocks. Surprisingly, I just start kicking instinctively and suddenly it's as if I were one with the water. It's like I was standing on the bank and my muscles were in perfect coordination. I didn't have to think about what I was doing and could place all my focus on battling this beast.
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| CGI rendering of the Serpent |
After a short tug of war, the fish is too tired to pull me around. I carefully bring it in, making sure to maintain tension during the random spurts of thrashing. I get it to my hand and as I reach to lip it, the fish does the equivalent of spitting in my face; it violently writhes showering me in a spray of seawater. My glasses are covered by droplets rendering me effectively blind. I attempt to squint between the drops and jab my thumb at its face trying to get into its mouth. I finally thumb its lower jaw and lift it out of the water all the while the fish is still whipping its tail and shaking its head wildly. By the time the fish stops struggling and I victoriously hold it over my head, my thumb is bleeding and I am soaked.
It felt like, during the battle, that the fish was of size and holding the fish in my hands confirmed it. The gorgeous beast had quite a belly and was a 2 - 2.25#. I kicked my way back towards FishTrick and signaled him over to show off my catch. He congratulates me on my catch and tells me about how he just lost one a short time before. His reel is too low and is no longer fishable. I tell him that he can use my extra rods. Our conversation is interrupted as a man makes his way off a boat and walks towards the dock ramp. In a flash, FishTrick disappears into the night. I, however, cannot move nearly as fast and agilely. By the time the man reaches the ramp, I am a mere ten feet away, caught directly under a street lamp. I freeze. I figure I just need to act natural. I remain silent. The man is looking down, but walking directly at me. He reaches the ramp and makes a sharp left away from me onto the ramp. He never looks up. I don't make a sound. He continues up the ramp and exits. I start kicking as hard as I can back towards my launch zone.
FishTrick is already there. "Did he see you?" he asks. "No, I don't think so. I just sat perfectly still and it didn't look like he looked up." "I think he saw me." "Eh, I don't think it's a problem. It doesn't look like he gives a shit." FishTrick helps me climb up the beach and we walk back to our cars.
"I think I'm gonna roll out."
"Like I said, you can use one of my rods."
"Nah I'm gonna head out and try to catch up on some sleep."
"All right, brotha. Good fishing."
I put away the tube and gear back into my car. I get into the driver's seat and start the engine. It's almost four in the morning. I pull my phone out of my pocket. I open my browser and go to a tide table. 9:54 am- low tide. Almost six hours away. That means the water's still pretty high, but it'll be mostly slack, not ideal fishing conditions. I think about what FishTrick said and think of my own warm, soft bed at home. I turn off my car.
I grab my rod and walk out to the rocks. I line myself up to parallel the dock piling nearest to me. It's a lane that has produced many fish for me before, but not recently. I am still using the same swimbait. I make a long cast that goes about six feet past the piling upcurrent. I let lure settle to the bottom. I let it sit for about seven seconds before I start a slow wind. I know that to the right of the piling is a patch of eelgrass that is probably whats holding the fish. As I wind in, I go just slow enough to ticked the top of the blades. Just like I anticipated I get the familiar "tic-tic." I wind in and swing! The fish comes barreling at me and I am trying to wind in all the slack. I feel it wedging itself into the rock crevasses on the way back to me. Each time I ease a bit on the line and slowly start pulling. The easing of the line seems to make the fish stop pulling so hard and then I can more easily pull it out of its hole. I get it to the bank and quickly take a picture. I give it a kiss and let it swim off, then I shoot FishTrick an email. "First cast after you left!" Sucker. I reach into my pocket and pull out a celebratory spliff. I light it up and take a hit. I make a long cast into the channel. I count as my lure slowly drops to the bottom. 24... 25... 26... My line goes limp. I let my breath out slowly through my nose. I can smell the pungent aroma of the smoke as it exits my nostrils. The moment is now even more real. The water. The rocks. The sky. I am really here. Of the nearly infinite ways that our universe could have arranged itself, it has arranged itself into this moment. It is almost five in the morning. I am standing alone, under a bridge, wet and cold, smoking a joint and having the time of my life.
The deep black sky slows turns navy blue and then a bright violet. Day is coming and my time here is running short. I make my last cast. Well, just one more. Then for real, the last one. Okay, time to head out. I take a few steps towards my car. Just one more. I turn back to the water and make a cast next to the dock where I think FishTrick lost his prize earlier. Bump, hop, bump, hop. I slowly work the lure back to me. About twenty five feet out, while on the sit, I get a single tick, but there's no mistaking it. I snap my body to the right and it's like snagging on a rock. Usually on the set I am able to turn the fish's head, but this time, it was like hitting a brick wall. Then it goes from a stonewall to a bucking bronco as the beast gets angry and starts to tug and run in the water. After an intense battle, I proudly hold up another beautiful Serpent. I pull out my scale. A hair over 2#. Exactly as I had estimated. I give it a peck and thank it for ending my session perfectly. I end up back in my car. It's a little past six. Two hours before I gotta get to work. I'll take a power nap, I decide. I lower my backrest and wad up a sweater as a pillow. I close my eyes and start to nod off.
Images of the next Serpent swim through my head...
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