It sure beats ordering off the menu. Everytime.

The sun is really beating down and our humidity is climbing. This gentleman knows how to spend his afternoon. He's properly outfitted in his long-billed cap, Guayabera -style shirt, rubber flip flops and dark sunglasses. He's a serious bait hunter and knows what he's after in these shallow waters alongside the sea wall. To be successful at catching some small bait for his fishing on the nearby Ballast Point Pier, this fisherman throws his cast net out onto the water and then pulls it back in with 15-20 feet of line. Small weights help pull the net under the surface and then he ensnares the little guys and hauls them in. It takes several throws to catch enough bait so he can resume his real afternoon's activity of catching dinner-size fish from Tampa's Hillsborough Bay. The city just spent almost $1 million on a major upgrade to the pier's pilings, railings, decking, benches, fish cleaning stations and renovating the shelter area at the end. This concrete dock is at the boat ramp and it too will get a major overall this year allowing for boats to tie-up on a floating dock. A variety of underwater critters can be found in these waters such as crabs, oysters, snook, sheepshead and even the occasional Tarpon. I'll bet that at this moment his catch is sizzling in a hot pan, lemon, butter and fresh tartar sauce - plus a bottle of chilled white wine - set to cook and garnish. Delicious.