A Cast Of Thousands!

    Well....actually.....the title should read
'A thousand casts.'
    You see after a delightful day spent with
my wife and four of our closest friends
boating along the Saint Lawrence Seaway
I decided to spend the evening fishing that
very same waterway!
   It was an experience that must be shared
with you!
   To begin I should explain that fishing the
Saint Lawrence River alone at night can be
a relaxing and near spiritual event.
   The dock where I sit has a few
comfortable chairs and a street light nearby
provides just enough light to see what
you're doing.
    You're alone with your thoughts...and
a few thousand gnats that seem to like to
keep company with fishermen.
    It's dark enough to see all the stars and
quiet enough to hear your own heart beat.
   UNLESS....a teenager is celebrating her
birthday with an outdoor party just one
block away!
   The beat that reverberated through the
night was not that or my heart. Hearts do
not beat that fast or that loud! I wondered
if the sound of the drum might be
echoing, like sonar, shaking any fish that
might be swimming by.
   But then, at exactly ten minutes past
eleven, absolute quiet suddenly
returned. I surmised the party had
either ended....or the drummer had died!
    Not long afterwards I saw my bobber
duck beneath the surface and the fight
began! Within a few minutes I had
hauled up a 14 and one half inch small
mouth bass! My wife is convinced
that bass, like some people, are either
'Small Mouth'...or...'Big Mouth."
    While it was not the million dollar
fish promoted by Cabela's Sporting
Goods stores it did represent a
substantial value!
    My 'non-resident', 7-day, New York
State Fishing License had cost $35.
   Two dozen minnows described as
'Pike Bait' came in at a total of
$13. The small plastic bail bucket
purchased to keep the minnows
alive until I could feed them to the
bigger fish was a bargain at just
$4. The total then was $52!
   Near as I can figure that makes my
fish worth approximately three dollars
and fifty eight cents an inch!
   And...after braving the noise and
the gnat's...that made him my
'Deadliest Catch' for the night.
   In fact...he was my only catch for
the night!
   Still the Bait store, the gnats, and
the 'Birthday girl' all seemed to make
out pretty well.
  So, by the way, did
my Bass as I returned him to the
Seaway to tell his brethern about
the 'big fisherman who got away!'
   Hope you catch whatever you're
after and than all your NEWS  is
good!