FISHING STORY



I have met a couple Jacksonville locals down here on the beach at the fishing access area ½ mile from the "office." They are both Palestinian Arab "immigrants," but they have been in the U.S. most of their lives. They are obviously experts on fishing, and their dreams involve having a place in the country with citrus trees. Their names are Sam and Charley.
 


Sam is the oldest. He owns a seafood shop, and he sometimes sells his own "catch" there. He imports fish from all over the world. The supermarket next door shut down, though, so his business went to hell. He had to add beef, pork and chicken and start advertising. He is busy again, but is working harder.
 


Charley is a roofer. He sets up his jobs in the morning, and then often goes fishing, so he is getting more out of life than Sam right now.
 


Charley often comes out in the afternoon and stays till after midnight. He has lanterns and a hat from Wal-Mart ($12) with a light on it. (Salespeople could use it to find pins after dark?)
 


Last night I went down there on the beach with my flashlight about 9 PM. Sure enough, there they were,  hauling in the whiting, a fish of about 1-1½ pounds. It was raining, but I don't think they noticed. They had enough shrimp for bait to feed an army of whiting.
 


Sam wants a 10-acre lot out there at Deersnake. Charley wants to borrow some credit so he can buy more rehabs to fix and rent and keep. So, everyone is a prospect?