We went on the bayou one more time, to catch fish. Most everybody had to get fishing licenses except me since I knew I would be sketching. It was a long drive to a spot down near Houma Louisiana, a town on the bayou leading into the Gulf. A friend of Clare Brown‘s brought his kayak which we tied down inside the Sea Ark. As we got close to the destination, our two car loads of people piled into a 7-11 for a bathroom break and lunch supplies.
It was a cloudy and cold day. The boat launched without a hitch. We motored to a spot where two tributaries converged. The thought was that the swirling currents would be a good feeding ground for the fish. Terry cast out and quickly her fishing pole bent. She reeled in and the pole kept bending down. She must have caught a whale! What came on board was a twisted tangle of ropes from a fishing net. Her hook also kept catching on the bottom. After several hours, Clare’s instructor actually caught a fish. It was too small to keep however. Clare’s classmate in his kayak also didn’t catch anything.
The lunch food was in the other boat, and they threw some food over when we pulled side by side in the middle of the bayou. There was cheese and crackers and some fruit. The bottom line is that no one caught any fish. Joseph Brown, being an experienced fisherman is used to the disappointment. What is important to me is that is did catch the sketch.