Snake Fishing

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Fishing tales

On a warm sunny autumn day, I was sitting with fishing rods on the shore of a small forest lake. The fish splashed around, but for some reason they were picky, and therefore pecked badly. From time to time I noticed a lot of fry and larger fish twirling around the hooks with baits.

When I got tired of staring at the motionless floats, I began to look around, hoping to see something interesting … A sand spit stretched to my right, a wall of willow thickets began to my left. At first, I didn't seem to notice anything interesting. However, when I once again looked at the nearest surroundings, it seemed to me that some elusive movement had occurred on the extreme willow bush hanging low over the water. And not only movement, but also the impression was created that someone had slightly touched the surface of the water.

Intrigued, I looked closer, but I never saw anything definite. And yet this bush interested me. I cautiously walked closer to him and began to examine branch after branch. And again I did not find anything, but curiosity got the better, I decided to watch the bush. Ten minutes later, when I was about to leave, a shadow flickered on one of the branches near the water.

Perhaps I was just imagining, I decided. And if not? To find out, I almost crawled to the water's edge, and now the part of the bush that interests me was visible quite well. A new thorough examination again yielded nothing. And only when he began to look from branch to branch, from leaf to leaf, he saw that a small snake was sitting on the lowest branch.

He sat motionless and so merged with the surrounding branches that it was very difficult to notice him. In short, the disguise is excellent. But why did he get there? The answer came a few minutes later, when the snake made a lightning attack, lightly touching the head of the water. And it became clear that the reptile and I were “colleagues”, since she was also engaged in … fishing! Yes, that's right, the snake was clearly hunting a small fish, schools of which were spinning under the bushes, apparently hoping to treat themselves to the animals falling into the water.

But it looks like this time the angler missed. With interest I began to wait for the continuation of such an original fishing. I had to be patient, since I didn't show myself for fifteen minutes. He probably watched the right moment to try to catch the fish. It can be assumed that there was no such moment. Finally, the snake decided …

Slowly, very slowly, he slid to the very end of the branch and, almost touching the water, froze. After waiting a few seconds, he made a swift dash, plunging his head into the water. However, either he did not take into account the fact that water distorts the contours of objects, or the sun prevented him, but the attack failed. The fish, flashing silver, scattered on the sides like peas.

I thought that was the end of the fishing for the reptile. But no, she froze again at the surface of the water, waiting for the next right moment to attack. Such a moment can be seen soon presented itself, since it was clearly prepared for an attack. And again he was unlucky … Suddenly a breeze blew from the shore, and waves of ripples ran across the water. It is clear that under these conditions one can hardly see anything in the water. Thus, the angler again suffered a failure.

And we must pay tribute to the snake, he waited until the wind died down and the ripples disappeared. Then it froze again on the lower branch. His patience was finally rewarded! Having made a lightning throw, the snake snatched a tiny fry out of the water. Having swallowed the prey here on the branch, the snake lay motionless for several minutes. Then, either satisfied with even such a meager catch, or for some other reason, he slipped into the water and swam to the opposite shore. For him, it looks like fishing is over.

Soon I followed suit. And also with a very modest catch …