Revenge of the Catfish

Left Gainesville (Tebow Town! In fact,for you college football fans,we Red Roofed it just minutes from "The Swamp")intent on avoiding Rt.19 and the town of Chiefland--both odious. Thus we made our way to Florida's "Forgotten Coast" on Rt. 27 to Rt.98. The drive was actually beautiful and relaxing,even though as we made our way through 7 or 8 different counties, we were treated to a viewing of each one's own correctional facility,nestled in the pines. Logging country gave way to oysters,turpentine production and Tupelo Honey (Ulee's Gold) as we skirted the coast along Apalachee Bay past Alligator Point and St. George Sound.

We'd visited our destination,St.Joseph Peninsula St. Park  on Cape San Blas 2 years ago---the COLD year. This time temps remained in the 80's,as they'd been in Tampa. This place couldn't be more of a contrast to Fort Desoto though...just VERY rural and natural. Supplies were 22 miles away in the town of Port St. Joe...a familiar routine for us.

The park has frontage on both the Gulf and the Bay, which set up to be a fishing paradise for me.
Well...
Day 1 of surfcasting I caught the same whiting I'd been catching way down in Hobe Sound, and a shark. Not a sand shark,or dog fish like we have on Cape Cod,but an honest to goodness I'm -really- pissed- off- to -have- this -hook- in- my- mouth- and -be -flopping- on- the- sand Shark.

Day 2 of surfcasting,I caught,you guessed it, a Catfish. Buoyed by my success in freeing the last one in Tampa,and armed with pliers,I deftly removed it from the hook,and then proceeded to drag it back into the water,by the tail,being careful to avoid those nasty whiskers.

 Allow me now to share the information I've gleaned from my too-little-and REALLY too- late research:These little bast*rds are among the biggest pests in the ocean. They are called hard head catfish,and have nothing to do with their freshwater cousins. The ugly whiskers are NOT the weapons...THOSE are located in slimy venomous spikes on both the pectoral and dorsal fins...DUH...back by the tail.

Let me attest to the wallop these things pack: what amounted to a 1/4 inch paper cut,sustained THROUGH a glove , bled PROFUSELY for a good  5 minutes,numbing my entire hand,( not enough!)and totally spazzing out my forearm and bicep. I was starting to get a little worried,thinking of the croc hunter and all, so consulted an observer to my little "dance".
"Oh,you'll be fine" he said..."but most guys have thrown up by now"