Friday, May 08, 2009

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.

6 comments:

Lowell said...

Sounds good...but he looks tangled up - like when he throws the net he'll go right in the water along with it!

Nice shot!

Lois said...

Nice shot! By the way, sometime when you are near the corner of Bayshore and Gandy, would you mind getting a picture of the Biglow-Helms mansion? My great grandfather, Silas Biglow, built that house and I have many old pictures taken back when they lived in it a hundred years ago. I visited it a few years back, but haven't seen it lately.

Frank said...

Lois - What a small world. My mother was a famed "Biglow Baby," one of about two dozen babies born there in the 1920s when it was Tampa's only hospital. You probably already know the history. The group of "babies" were honored and celebrated back in the '80s (or '70s) when they were all getting on in years. Most have died, my mom 8 years ago. I know the Biglow very well. I had an architect friend whose office was up on the top floor for a while. I will shoot it TODAY, and include a bit of its history, too.

Frank

Bergson said...

A beautiful light to highlight fisherman

Gerald (SK14) said...

nice shot - he certainly does appear a bit tangled up there

Frank said...

This fellow is wrestling with the net and ewas having a hard time untangling it. He did get it out finally.