A View From the North Shore”

[STWA]

I was dressed in chest-high waders and stood in Lake Erie water up to my waist. And it was my first cast for northern pike with an old orange wobble-lure. That lure snagged a massive log or so it seemed. That mass turned into a giant carp that was determined to peel my reel of 8 lb test line as he headed for deep water. Even with a heavy drag-- I said goodbye to my new fish line that was stretched to the breaking point. A successful landing would require new line since it easily curls and tangles and leads to more cussing than fishing. But landing that fish was in the distant future because my reel was half empty before the drag brought that mountain of muscle to a rest, the first of many to follow.

Then the boredom set in and I began to view the shore line and the spring-green grass of the lake-view homes. There on a manicured lawn were two giant Canada Geese with the male gander standing at a stiff attention while close behind him was mother goose and her 4 goslings. So what? I see this all the time except for the stiffness of the gander. But new to me and slinking her way to the geese was a fox, our well know Foxy Lady who has a family to feed and she would love a fresh gosling for her pups. This scene was 100 percent new to me, a mother fox about to attack 2 geese for a delicious baby goose. That’s when I bet myself one thousand dollars on who would win--- the fox or geese?

The biggest mistake would be for the geese to make a panic-rush into the lake water. They did not. That gander stood stiff and threatened anything that approached his family. The fox twitched her tail and backed away from the geese, followed by a fast pee on the lawn and then departed for safer hunting grounds. Wow, I won one thousand dollars from myself but only because I had inside information. For example, one night Foxy Lady arrived at our outdoor cat food dish and there was a possum eating at the dish. Foxy Lady approached the dish and the possum did not back off. Then the fox slipped away and returned when the possum had departed. A wise move at a time when plenty of food was available to all animals. If food was scarce, that possum would have been an evening snack to Foxy Lady and her family.

With the passage of the possum-fox encounter I was able to concentrate on the landing of this massive carp. Half an hour of constant pressure on my line and fishing pole left my arms weak. But I got the fish into shallow water and secured in my landing net. I then removed the hook from its tail fin. Away it swam unharmed-- a massive creature full of caviar that was ready to be hatched into clouds of carpettes. I wished Madame Carp the best of luck with her new family.

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