Happenings

S-M-A-C-K went the fish as it flew through the air. WHAT? That just doesn’t sound right does it? But I am here to tell you that’s exactly how it went…with some human intervention of course!

It all occurred one lazy summer afternoon on the banks of Lake Beorge in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Our family had been fishing for nary an hour when the first fish of the day was caught (sadly, it was not by me). Jan, my grandad’s friend, had hooked a small fish and quickly reeled it in though the water that lapped the edges of the lake. The slimy, scaly fish glistened in the sunlight as it lay flopping in the shallow water.

“Jan, I think he’s too small. YOu’d better throw him back,” my grandad whispered sheepishly to her.

With that, Jan knelt over to firmly grasp the tiny fish in order to degouge the hook from his throat. ONce hte hook was removed she reached back with the fish in hand to hurl him towards the lake with the might of a Louisville slugger. Only her aim was not that of a first rate picther…and instead of landing gently into the lake he flew through the air and…S-M-A-C-K…right up against a tree!

Our day of fishing didn’t end there however when the poor little fish had met an untimely death as he flew
into the tree. He lay there floating lifelessly in the water at the tree’s feet while our fishing rods darted back and forth from the center of the lake HOPING to catch another.

And finally we did…but sadly…once again it wasn’t I who saw the tip of the fishing pole dancing in the breeze to tell me that there was a bit. “Oooohhhh! I’ve got another fantastic fish!” Jan squeeled.

“Let’s hope she doesn’t kill this one,” I muttered under mybreath. Jan quickly and quietly reeled in her line whiel the rest of us watch with baited (no pun intended) breath to see if this would be the big catch of the day. At last we began to see a ripple in the water to indicate that the fish was near and the…flip, flip, flop…we were disappointed once again to see a bitty baby fish floppin on the shores of the lake. His eyes looked sadly up at us crying “Please, I don’t want to die!”

“Drats!” Jan garbled, “He’s too small too…I guess I’ll have to throw him back as well.”

With that-Jan knelt over to firmly grasp the tiny fish in order to degouge the hook from his throat. ONce hte hook was removed she reached back with the fish in hand to hurl him towards the lake with the might of a Louisville slugger. The fish flew gracefully past the trees towards the cool blue waters of the lake. “Phew!” I chorgled, “Looks like this one made it!”

No sooner had I uttered the wrods than a giant white gull flew sneakily from the tree tops screaming “Lunch, lunch, lunch…”, scooped down towards the water and swallowed our bitty baby fish in one gulp!

“That’s it!” I exclaimed, “Time for our fishing poles to say goodbye! Killing 2 baby fish in one day is QUITE enough for me!”