The Little Fishing Fufus

As the ocean rolls in from its adventures at sea

it whispers to the seagull a his-story-

True story about my daughter when she was young.

~ ~ ~

"What do you want to do today?" asked Simona.
"How about . . .Let’s go fishing!" said Mimi Fufu

~ ~ ~

"Remember girls, stay next to the bait house.
Mr. B will look out for you.
Good luck! Catch lots of fish.
then I’ll prepare for you the
grandest tasting dish.
I’ll pick you up at noon. Okay?"
called out Mimi Fufu’s mommy
before she drove away.

"Okay!" said the girls as the waved.

Dressed in frills,
ribbons and blows,
Mimi Fufu and
her friend, Simona, toted
their bright yellow fishing poles.
The two girls loved to fish during
the warm summer months
at Crystal Pier
down on the ocean front.

When they reached
their favorite spot
they set down their fishing poles
and pink tackle box.

Equipped with all the necessary gear
the girls still needed to purchase
some bait on the pier.

So, together they grabbed their
bait bucket and hurried over
to the bait house
where they were greeted by
jolly old Mr. B.,
who looks just like
the old Man of the Sea.

Um-m-m, yummy.
Just in time to fill
Heecliffs empty tummy,
thought the pelligan

perched up top the bait house.

"Hello, girls.

What can I do for you?"

"Please Mr. B.," said Mimi

"May we have one dozen anchovies?"

"Why certainly.

One dozen anchovies coming up.

Now don’t catch all

the fish out there, my dears.

Please, leave a fish or two,

for I have other customers who

would like to catch a few."

gleamed Heecliff.

"We won’t catch all the fish, Mr. B.,"

said the girls with glee.

"One bucket full is all we’ll need."

"Yikes! Hold on tight to the bucket.

Heecliff’s right behind us," said Mimi.

"Yea," said Simona.

"I see that ol’ fish-snatcher peeking."

Mimi Fufu and Simona

were known for their fishing skills.

"How do they do it?"

The people exclaimed.

"They’re just two sweet little girls."

Nevertheless, the passersby

watched in wonder as the girls

reeled in one catch after another.

One gentleman said to his friends,

"You see? They fish in that

same spot all the time.

That’s where I’ll throw my line."

No sooner said than done,

the girls found themselves

sque-e-e-zed

shoulder to shoulder

like two burger patties

in a bun.

This wasn't new to Simona

and Mimi Fufu.

Even when the girls moved to

the other side of the pier,

they continued to catch lots of fish.

But once again,

they'd find themselves

sque-e-e-zed

tightly between like

two tiny sardines.

No one dared to ask,

heaven forbid,

how two girly little girls

managed to catch more fish

than the big men did.

After all,

what could two little Fufus

dressed up in ribbons and bows

possibly know?

Sh-h-h!

Mimi and Simona had a

secret to their method

and no one noticed.

One old man

who had fished for three days with

not one catch to show success,

broke down and asked,

"Excuse me girls,

I’m vacationing here from my

hometown in the Mid-West.

Ocean fishing is new to me.

Would you please look at my hook

and tell me what I’m doing wrong?

I’ve tried everything,

including using the

same bait as you and

I still can’t catch any fish

the way you do."

The girls whispered to each other,

"Should we tell him our secret?"

Then they smiled and both agreed,

"It’s nice to help someone in need."

"Mister," said Mimi Fufu.

"There’s one thing you didn’t do.

Our secret is

in how we cut our bait.

You cut your bait in

round little bits.

No fish down there

will fall for this."

"You have to trick them.

That’s what we do." said Simona.

"So watch us carefully and

we will show you."

Pleased to have the girls

show him what to do

the old man was delighted

about learning something new.

"Now drop your line in the water

and let the current drag

the bait out.

Then slowly reel it in so,

like a live fish the

bait will flash and glisten," said Mimi.

"Good Mister!

You’ve got it right." said Simona.

"When you feel a fish bite,

first, let the fish get a good grip,

then reel’em up tight."

"Oh, my!

Hey! You girls are right.

I feel a fish on my line. . .

woo-whoo!

It’s giving me a fight.

Weee!

I caught one by golly."

"I can see it!" said Simona.

"It’s a big fish too!" said Mimi Fufu.

The girls clapped and cheered

as the old man proudly

heaved his lively fish up

and onto the pier.

Flippity-flop

flippity-flop

upon the deck

flopped the fish’s tail.

"Gol-lee!

Would you look at that,"

said the old man.

"I can’t believe my eyes.

What a prize."

"Thank you young ladies, for

sharing your secret with me.

Now I can go home with a

real good fish story."

"You’re welcome," said the girls.

"Now it’s time for us to go.

I see my mommy waiting

to take us home."

So, Mimi and Simona

gathered up all

their fishing stuff.

"We did real good today

didn’t we?" said Simona.

"Yes! We sure did.

We caught a lot of fish.

And we made the old man

happy as well.

Now we, too, have a

real good story to tell."

As the girls turned to leave

they looked back once more.

Then with a smile and

a wave of the hand,

the girls said,

"Bye, bye!" and "Good luck!"

to the happy old man.

With ribbons and bows

bobbing to-and fro,

the two fishing Fufus

tottered down the pier

with their bucket full of fish and

their well used fishing gear.

For dinner, just as she promised,

Mimi’s mommy prepared

the finest tasting dish

with french-fried potatoes and

the freshly caught fish.

Um-m-m, yummy, yummy!"

~~~

Secret Bait cutting method:

With one anchovy

1. Cut off fish head.

2. Cut lengthwise and save white belly part.

3. Open belly part flat and cut into 2 pieces.

4. Hook each piece at the wide end.

Note: the white belly part is best because

it sparkles and flashes under the water.

"Happy Fishing"