| Memories of last spring's fishing trip to Florida help | | | | hordes of menhaden. Their powerful jaws were |
| warm up the night as I sit next to a glimmering fire in | | | | acting like scissors as the snapped time and again; |
| the den of my home here in northern Alabama, | | | | the minnows filling the gators' mouths by the |
| listening to the sleet bounce off the window panes. | | | | hundreds, if not thousands. |
| Spike the cat gently meows in his sleep next to the | | | | We estimated that all of these animals weighed |
| fireplace, no doubt chasing mice in his dreams. | | | | between 500 and 1000 pounds. My brother-in-law |
| March on Lake Jessup, about 20 minutes away from | | | | wanted to get closer. Not me! Most of the alligators |
| Orlando, is when nature out does itself, staging a wild | | | | were already too close to me as it was. I didn't want |
| life production that really can't be duplicated on cable | | | | to get on their bad list by interrupting their |
| TV. You have to be there! | | | | breakfasts. |
| Wild flowers of every variety native to that area are | | | | It was truly an awesome sight! These modern day |
| in bloom, yellows, pinks and reds contrasting with a | | | | dragons were all laying on their sides scooping up |
| powder blue sky. Trees are in their springtime finest | | | | minnows by the bucket, or mouthful. None of this |
| foliage. Birds are nesting, crappies are bedding and | | | | seemed to deter the menhaden, for they kept |
| the menhaden are practically coming ashore in their | | | | swimming toward the shore seemingly oblivious of |
| desire to spawn. | | | | these monstrous amphibians that were about to eat |
| Menhaden are little shad-like minnows about 3-4 | | | | them alive! |
| inches long. In the spring the spawning season is | | | | The desire in all living things to reproduce no matter |
| awesome, with thousands if not millions, of the small | | | | what obstacles may lie ahead was driving these |
| fish swimming within inches of the shore, laying eggs | | | | midget shad toward shallow water. By swimming to |
| by the millions. They were so many that when I cast | | | | the shoreline by the millions and depositing their eggs |
| a net off the dock, I hauled in approximately 60 | | | | in very shallow water, they were insuring that some |
| pounds of the small fish. | | | | of the eggs would hatch. By the large amounts of |
| That particular morning we arose early because all | | | | menhaden we saw, it was evident that this theory |
| fishermen know that you catch fish by getting up | | | | had worked in the past. |
| early and dangling your bait in front of them while | | | | We watched until the alligators left. As if someone |
| they're having breakfast. Just at daybreak my | | | | had flipped a switch, first one of the largest gators |
| brother-in-law and I walked from his house to his | | | | suddenly twisted around, slapped his tail on the |
| dock where the boat was tied. As we came closer | | | | water, lunged toward the open lake and was gone. |
| to the pier, we both heard a noise coming from the | | | | All the others immediately followed suit. Nothing was |
| bank that sounded like a buffalo dying. | | | | left but muddy water as all the alligators churned up |
| Startled we crept closer to the pier, unsure of what | | | | the bottom of the lake making their get a way. |
| we would see as we heard the sound of water | | | | While we were fishing later that day, we saw |
| splashing and roaring sounds as if some prehistoric | | | | alligators everywhere. The morning was made even |
| monster was feeding. Indeed it was! There were | | | | more exciting by two young guys in kayaks paddling |
| fifteen mammoth alligators ranging from 8 feet long | | | | around the lake, about 30 yards from the bank, |
| to 12 feet or more and they were doing something | | | | unaware of what might be lurking beneath the |
| I've never even seen on Animal Planet! They were all | | | | surface. It was almost like being in a "B" movie where |
| lined up at the shoreline like cowboys at a bar in an | | | | the kayakers ignore the warnings from the good |
| old western movie and they were having breakfast! | | | | guys and keep flirting with death. |
| We'd moved stealthily to peer from behind a large | | | | Thankfully they didn't capsize and made it back to |
| Cypress tree, that was dripping with Spanish moss, | | | | shore after thinking the matter over. Every time I go |
| and about 60 feet from the alligators. All of them | | | | to that lake in Florida, there are sights that I never |
| were lying on their sides engulfing mouthfuls of the | | | | see anywhere else. I'm going back soon! |