I had a humbling experience last weekend. It was one that got me to thinking.
In the fresh water springs we always feed Vienna sausages to blue gill and American eels. One of my favorite teachings and warnings is “Salt water fish got teeth!
Last Sunday I was victim to an unprovoked attack by a toadfish. We were on the Hovercraft at Panama City Beach. Msquare and I had been out on the sand and were approaching the bow of the LCAC when I felt a sharp pain on my right thumb. I looked down at a 10 to 12 inch toadfish that was actually out of his hole and squaring off at me. My thumb leaked green stuff. MSquare gave me a concerned “Are you OK?” sign but I was still kind of dazed.
The most disconcerting thing about this whole incident was that it happened so quickly that there is no way I could have prevented it. I have always heard that you will never see the shark that bites you but never figured that my first marine bite would be – of all creatures – a toadfish.
Uncle Ricky says that I am lucky that he took one chomp and turned loose. Sometimes they hang on. All I know is that I still have scabs on my thumb.
Go figure!
In the fresh water springs we always feed Vienna sausages to blue gill and American eels. One of my favorite teachings and warnings is “Salt water fish got teeth!
Last Sunday I was victim to an unprovoked attack by a toadfish. We were on the Hovercraft at Panama City Beach. Msquare and I had been out on the sand and were approaching the bow of the LCAC when I felt a sharp pain on my right thumb. I looked down at a 10 to 12 inch toadfish that was actually out of his hole and squaring off at me. My thumb leaked green stuff. MSquare gave me a concerned “Are you OK?” sign but I was still kind of dazed.
The most disconcerting thing about this whole incident was that it happened so quickly that there is no way I could have prevented it. I have always heard that you will never see the shark that bites you but never figured that my first marine bite would be – of all creatures – a toadfish.
Uncle Ricky says that I am lucky that he took one chomp and turned loose. Sometimes they hang on. All I know is that I still have scabs on my thumb.
Go figure!
