On the way to town Saturday, I passed a small white SUV parked beside the creek, down by Mailbox Row. It was on our road. Facing the way that takes you into our enclave. Saturday is not a school day! Why was there an older lady sitting in a car down by the mailboxes? It's not like she was waiting for a kid to get off the bus. She was alone. Not sight-seeing with a companion. The temperature was 54 degrees, with rain and wind. Not a day to be wading in the creek.
In town, I was in line behind a young couple at the Gas Station Chicken Store. They were asking if the GSCS sold worms. No. And did they sell fishing licenses? No. Fave referred them to Orb K. "I know they used to sell worms. I'm not sure of the license. They just remodeled, but I don't know if that would affect what they sell. The Farm and Home Store used to sell them, but I think they closed at 4:00." So off went the couple, looking for a fishing license and worms in cool windy weather. Maybe they wanted them for the next day. They could probably buy the license online these days, from the conservation department website.
Back home, the lady in the small white SUV was still parked by the creek. That had been 45 minutes that I was gone. I still don't know why she was hanging around, but she was gone when Farmer H came home 30 minutes later.
Up the gravel road a couple hundred yards, there was a small brown SUV parked in the road on a curve. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, that driver! He was out of his car, at the edge of the creek, dipping his hands in the water. Let the record show that the water is not clear right now, the mussy creek full of rainwater run-off all week. I hope this dude wasn't washing up after a crime!
That's Hillmomba. You never know what you might find when you venture out.
2 comments:
He might have been gathering water samples for testing, but more likely rinsing off sweat or lunch crumbs. I thought fishing licences were only for those who fish big amounts to sell, like out on the ocean. I didn't think dropping an occasional line in a creek or river needed a licence. Kids out here (men and women too) drop lines and crab pots off the jetties at the beaches, but I think they only catch to eat, not catch to sell.
River,
I doubt that a guy with an out-of-state license plate was gathering water samples. If it was lunch crumbs, he must have been crumby for hours, since this was nearly 5:00.
Most states, if not all, have a fishing license requirement here. The money helps pay the conservation agents, and for stocking public fishing areas. For a Missouri resident, a fishing license is about $13 per year. If you're younger than 16, or older than 64, you don't need a license. Getting caught fishing without a license can result in a fine up to $1000, and/or imprisonment up to 1 year!
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