By Peggy Choquette
There’s nothing quite like it. That feeling when your boat quietly slips into the still water and gently slices through the night. Suddenly, a whole new world is illuminated before you. It can take your breath away.
The first time we went bully netting for lobster in the Florida Keys, I wondered how I had managed to live my entire life without this experience. It was not so much about the lobsters at first. It was the feeling that we had been given access to a secret world. Sitting with my feet dangling in the warm water, I was absolutely mesmerized. Tiny fish floated suspended in sea grass, and Stingrays gently glided by, all totally unperturbed by our presence. A pair of lemon sharks cruised the mangroves, stealthily stalking their prey.
It’s difficult for a girl to focus on lobsters with an entire ecosystem at her feet! Jesse mistakenly gave me the responsibility of seeking the elusive bugs. We would still be out there if he hadn’t finally put me on the trolling motor. Suddenly, the boat shifted with a flurryof excitement behind me. In one fell swoop, there was a bug in the boat, and it was on! A few bugs later, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that net. What I lacked in experience, I made up for in enthusiasm. Several misses later, I finally landed my very first lobster. Unfortunately, excitement overcame me, and the lobster landed directly on Jesse’s head. At least it made it to the boat, and you have to give credit where credit is due. For this uncoordinated girl, the thrill of landing a lobster never gets old, and the beauty of a night in the Florida Keys still takes my breath away every time.
— Peggy Choquette – Fish Candy Bait and Tackle
