Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina
0 degrees in Minneapolis, but they’re expecting 32 tomorrow and it’s only going to be 44 here.
About 180 miles down the coast from Croatan it’s a degree warmer, but the sun came out halfway through the drive–the first time I’ve seen it since Sunday when it was 65+ and sunny. This park is absolutely beautiful, with vines and Spanish moss hanging from the southern live oak trees. The moss has an ancient, mysterious, midnight in the garden of good and evil feel to it that I just love. A road built on a dyke runs from the highway through the salt marsh into the park, and there are nature trails and wooden walkways and lookouts throughout. A sign warns of alligators and reminds you they are actually fast, so don’t approach shore or get within 15 feet, especially if you are slow and good eating.
Tonight I’m going to get a fishing license and I’m pumped to fish in the ocean again. I still love fishing anywhere, but in Minnesota you kind of know what you’re going to get…walleye, pike, crappie, etc. But I have no knowledge of the fish here and for all I know I could catch a shark. Half the fun of fishing is the suspense of what’s on the end of the line. Once I caught a Pepsi can from the 1970s, and even that was kind of exciting, but here there’s something called a red porgy, which sounds friendly, and another one called a ladyfish, who I’d like to meet and take to dinner. Then there’s a pigfish and also a hogfish, and I wonder if they feel offended, or wish one were the other. The northern puffer looks ridiculous, as does the oyster toadfish. The only one I’ve caught before is the pompano, in Florida, and that’s what got me excited for fishing in the ocean in the first place. It was a strong fish, all muscle, a fighter. But even more fun is that you just stick a PVC tube in the sand, slip your pole into it, and lay around in the sun until something bites. That is my kind of fishing. It doesn’t matter if it takes all day.
I’m heading into Murrells Inlet to try a restaurant and get some beers, and maybe chat up a local or two. I have questions.
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