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Stories

Jimmy and the Big Redfish by Michelle Anne Brown

Jimmy Thompson was a determined little boy and he was out to catch big red. A week ago his daddy told him a story about the big redfish he saw in the creek down by Mr. Yoders horse farm. Jimmy decided at that moment that he was going to go down to Yoders creek and catch Big Red. There was one thing Jimmy always wanted, and that was to make daddy proud! It was a hazy morning in New Smryna when Jimmy woke with a start. He looked at his fish alarm clock that his mom gave him for Christmas, and it was 4:00 am. Jimmy knew his daddy would be heading out to the creek to catch some fish before heading off to work at the plant. So he crawled out of bed and put on his oldest blue jeans and his lucky t-shirt. He wondered down to the breakfast table where his parents usually had their morning grits. However, for some reason there were no grits and his daddy was no where to be found. After a closer inspection of the house Jimmy realised his daddy must have worked the night shift. Well he had a great idea! If he could go down to creek and catch big red he would be the talk of the town. He ran upstairs and grabbed his wading boats and his snoopy fishing pole that his Grandpa had given him. He then left a note for his mom that he was going to be at the creek, and ran as fast as he could to get there. Over the years many fisherman have fished Yoders Creek for redfish, however, only a few were lucky enough to catch a decent sized fish. Jimmy's daddy and grandpa have spent morning after morning determined to catch a big redfish. They had caught all kinds of fish in the past, trout, pompano, sheepshead, and even small sharks. But the tap... tap....tap... bite of the redfish has proven to be to much. It was still pretty hazy out so Jimmy waded carefully into the creek, for fear of falling in one of the drop-offs that the fish seem to love. Jimmy had grabbed a few of the live shrimp that was in the bucket in the garage. His daddy always gets shrimp the night before and puts in a little bubble tab that keeps them alive until morning. It wasn't easy putting that shrimp on the hook, if you are not careful they will stab you. Jimmy picked up the shrimp and with deep concentration he threaded it on the hook. He had watched many times before to learn how to hook the shrimp. The trick is to keep the shrimp alive so it will look appetising to the fish that swim by. Jimmy cast into the clear water and waited and waited and waited... nothing. Nearly an hour later he decided to put a fresh shrimp on his hook. So he reeled in slowly, hoping that if there was a redfish around it would chase the shrimp. A few seconds later the line tightened and Jimmy hooked the fish. He knew it wasn't a big fish. He reeled in and saw at the end of the line that it was just a little croaker fish. Oh well, he said, at least I caught something. It was almost 5:30 am and Jimmy knew he would have to be heading in to catch the school bus soon. One more try he thought .. just one more. Jimmy was just as careful this time as he was before putting the shrimp on his hook. He waded out a little further so he could cast around the shaded area across the creek. He waited and waited and waited... oh no..he realised it was time to go, and Jimmy was very sad. He has wanted to catch a big fish for so long to prove that he was a real Florida fisherman! Then as he was reeling in he felt a little tap... oh my ... here it is he thought... again a little tap. Jimmy took a deep breath crossed his toes and prayed to the lord to let this be the one. Tap... Tap... Tap... and there it was the noise he has been dreaming of! The buzzing of the line coming off of the real was the best thing Jimmy has ever heard. Here it goes... he thought.. he took one more deep breath closed the bail, and slowly jerked the pole back, until he felt the weight of the fish on the other end of the line. Jimmy started to reel.. it was an amazing fight! Every time Jimmy reeled the fish would pull harder and go further. He didn't give up though.. and then .... and then ... he saw only what he has seen in magazines... the glow of the big redfish under the water! This fish was gigantic! It fought and jumped and pulled with all its might!!! Jimmy was crying with excitement and was shaking so hard he could hardly hold on to the pole. After nearly 30 minutes the fish was close enough for Jimmy to pull ashore. It was definitely big red! Mr. Thompson came running down the path with so much pride and excitement on his face that Jimmy beamed with happiness. Look daddy, Jimmy said.. I caught the big one! Mr. Thompson was speechless he responded with a big hug and then he picked up the red fish, grabbed Jimmy's hand and said come on we are going to get his picture taken. What Jimmy didn't know was that his daddy was standing at the corner watching him the whole time. Mr Thompson has spent many mornings teaching Jimmy how to be patient and how to catch fish. But one thing that he will never tell Jimmy was that story about the big redfish was just a bedtime story that he made up. 25 years later Jimmy still goes to that creek to find the next big red. But nothing could compare to that hazy morning back in the summer of 74! The picture still hangs on the wall in the local bait store, and even though it is a little bit faded.... it is still the talk of the town. Who knows who the next one to catch a 45 pound redfish might be. It could be little boy or girl down the street! Thank god for bedtime stories!

© 2003 Michelle Anne Brown

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