After weeks and weeks of poor fishing, July 4th turned out to be a great time to greet the dawn from our fishing dock. A nice little mess of pan-fish! These are surprisingly scrappy and a lot of fun to catch. Plus, aren't they pretty?
I was feeling pretty smug about pulling in one after another.
Then Hubby Dearest used on of my night-crawlers, and here is what he pulled in:
This is a 15" large-mouth bass. Since we were fishing for bream, we had not carried a net out with us. Fortunately, he didn't break the line or get off the hook.
I will say that I think a blue-gill is prettier. This one is in bright mating colors. The summer heat is hard on gardens. We have bulbs blooming in March, violets and pansies go wild in April, the roses are fabulous in May, and the daisies, hostas and primroses are wonderful in June...and then comes July, with brutal temperatures and wilting humidity. Thank goodness for crepe myrtles!
The blooms are in large clusters; each frilly flower will produce a seed-head that will open and scatter hundreds (trust me) of tiny seeds. One bush produces millions.
The 'shrubs' can grow very tall, and older examples can have very thick trunks, which are smooth and mottled--very handsome. Right now they are blooming all over town in a variety of colors--white, pale rose, bright pink, purple, deep red.
Bright, cheerful, incredibly hardy and versatile. Also, you can't kill one. (Believe me, we've tried.) When they get too tall and begin shading areas where we want sun, we cut them off flush at the ground. (These look awful if merely pruned.) The next year, they're back up, just a more modest size.
Bass for supper! A Glorious Fourth of July to you!
