FISHING’ MINORCAN STYLE

 

SCARED STIFF !!!

 

This is a story that may be hard to believe " But it Happened".  There was a article in the local paper about it with warnings to the residents and tourists.  Well let's set the scene for you and hopefully I can make the Words Take Image.

 

It took place around August of 1952-53.  Now August in Florida is down right Miserably Hot.  It gets so hot the devil even looks for cool shade and running water.

 

All my relatives in St. Aug. ( and that's a bunch ) look forward to Summer Time.  We had cleaned and put away our hunting gear and had gotten Serious about fishing again.  We were raised to live off the land and give back to it.  Fish'en to us is a 24-7 thingy and takes priority over everything else;--even--"Making Love".  A Minorcan always figured he could fish longer than he could make "LOVE".

 

The summer 52-53 was so hot ----I mean really HOOTTttt.  It hadn't rained in a COON'S AGE (meaning a long time).  Everything was drying up and turning brown.  We would take our cast nets and go fish'en in the surf at night time when the temperature cooled off to around 95 degrees.

 

This one night and for about a week and a half,----things Got Scary.  All the Minorca's in town were experiencing the same thing. 

 

After supper,---daddy, mama and me packed up and went fish'en for "Mullet On The Beach",---read the book,--it's good. We got there right about dark time and headed north on Vilano Beach.---Now Jerry'--tell it like they can see it happening---make it visual.   OK_OK-ok,  I'll try.

 

Daddy and I got out of the car in the pitch black darkness,--grabbed our cast nets and head for the water.  We walked in about knee deep and threw our cast nets.  We were standing side by side and each said "I've got'em".  About the same time we each said " I've got something else in the net,---Don't Know What It Is".   Normally ,--we would pick up the net and carry it up by our side or over the shoulder.  WE KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG,---DIDN'T FEEL JUST RIGHT.  That inner voice saying ---be careful.!!

 

Mama Virgie was still sitting in the passengers seat and daddy yells out;---" Virgieee--turn the head light on,---get the spot light out," her reply "What is it Thomas"??  " I don't know yet.---just do like I ask you"!!  Mama put the spot light on the nets ans "Lord And Behold" we had RATTLE SNAKES in the nets along with the mullet.  The fun begins;--LOOK OUT,--GET BACK,--DON'T DARE LIFT THAT NET--DRAG IT,--WATCH OUT FOR THE BREAKERS .--WATCH  WHERE YOU'RE STEPPING !!!

 

Here we are,---bare foot, pitch black dark, in knee deep water, walking from the car to the ocean, standing in the water with the breakers hitting us up to our waist and a NET FULL OF FISH AND RATTLE SNAKES.  Now--Jerry can see some fun about to happen.  The snakes were striking at everything including the fish,--trying to get out of the net,--crawling up and down inside the net and we're dragging it in using the 25 foot hand line.  Now old Jerry boy wasn't gonna get to close to that net.  I figured if need be,--the snakes could have my net,---I could always make another one.  Daddy's yelling out,---don't let the breakers wash the net up on you,--I'm telling you to be careful,--get back some,--walk side ways and drag the net in,--these things are just big enough to be dangerous--kill ya.

 

Now mama Virgie could get real excited,--and she did when she saw the snakes.  She said; Thomas,--those are Rattle Snakes in the net,---"Look out Thomas,---TOM'ASS-TOM'ASS,---there's two more behind you crawling on the beach.  Yell out, ----Jerry,---you get yourself over here NOW,  TOM'ASS,--LOOK OUT,---there are more to the north of you.  For God sake,--TOM'ASS,--be careful,--- Jerry,--get away from that net,--watch where you're stepping".

 

Well ole' Jerry drug his net of fish and snakes to the head lights of the car.  I thought to myself;---boy this is exciting,---we're having some different kind of fun.  NOW,--I'm not stupid,--a little crazy and wild at times, --so I figured the best place for me was on the hood of the car.  I climbed up and there I sat,---thinking,---Now this is hard to believe.  Mama Virgie is at it again;----"TOM'ASS,TOM'ASS----Jerry--you sit still up there,---don't you dare get down,---Don't Move A Muscle"  Daddy comes up and says: " Jerry,---get your butt down from there and find me something to kill these things with."  Daddy starts flam-banging the snakes and my butt is back on top of the car hood again.  Mama Virgie is hanging half way out the window,---LOOKING---with the spot light going everywhere,---just LOOKING for more snakes.  Daddy says;  " Virgie;---for God sake,-can you please keep the light still so I can see,---Jerry,--watch and see where that one is crawling off to."

 

Now Kitty and Albert (my aunt and uncle Delany) drive up and know about the rattle snakes.  They had been on the beach all day and had been finding then everywhere.  Kitty( nick-name SPLINTER) wanted to get out and see everything,---Miss Nosey Body!!!  Albert says; Splinter;--keep still in the car girl 'til we take care of things here.   I'm just sitting up there watching everything,---being cool about it all.---no need for me to get involved,---daddy and Albert got it under control.

 

Well here drives up my other uncle,--Kenny Delany ( AKA--WILD THING ) and he says; " I see ya'll have my rattle snakes,"---daddy says "What'cha mean,---your rattle snakes?"

Wild Thing Kenny says; " I haven't caught any fish so,---I've been collecting the snakes everybody's been catching and kill'en,---gonna take them home,--skin them out and fry them up."  That's the way Wild Thing Kenny does things---calls it ---eat'en off the land Minorcan style.  He opens his trunk lid and sure enough it's full of snakes and some are still moving.  He takes after my great uncle Frank Canova ,--"The Rattle Snake Man".

 

Mama Virgie has settled down a little but still has the spot light going round and round like a Lighthouse Beacon.  Daddy says it OK now,---so everyone piles out of their car,---mama and Splinter kinda huddle together just looking and talking---girl talk--sissy stuff,---I'm still on top of the car,---there may be some "Curious" snakes hanging around.  I figure there is no one else having any better Fun than we are ,--better than a circus and it's free.

 

We continued mullet fishing but were also looking for the snakes,---mama's got the spot light shinning everywhere,  from the sand dunes to 20 miles off shore,--she's got it under control.  The word got out about "Snakes On The Beach" and the Minorca's dropped everything to hunt down the snakes.  A traffic light may have been needed and it became a game as to who had caught the most snakes.  We all continued fishing but watched where we were stepping.

 

I would venture to say that more than 150 snakes were captured or killed from Vilano Beach to Pablo Beach --Jax.Beach  that summer.  The weather was so hot that the SNAKES and the DEVIL came down from the sand dunes to cool off in the ocean.

 

Jerry Delany

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