Story # 1 goes something like this. I am about 11-12 years old and I am surf fishing on a quiet stretch of beach on Ocracoke, Island off the North Carolina coast. I was fishing alone that day, and the closest person to my fishing spot was probably more than 200 yards away. I was having a good ol' time and had caught 3-4 fish in about a one hour period. I had just reeled another fish in and I decided to keep it, so I went out into the water just a little ways to add that fish onto a stringer that I was using to keep my catch for the day. My fishing pole was lying on the ground behind me as I waded into the water. There was a little bit of bait (squid) that was still remaining on the hook. After putting the fish onto the stringer, I turned around and was surprised to see that my fishing pole was gone. It had all happened in a matter of seconds. A giant pelican had swooped down when I turned my back and it decided to steal the piece of bait that was still attached to the hook. My fishing pole was airborne and I was in shock! I tried to jump into the air to reach the rod as the bird struggled to gain altitude. Line was coming out of the reel now and the bird began to head out to the open sea. I started to enter the water to follow, but then realized that "Jaws" might be lurking somewhere beneath the murky depths. I retreated back to landfall and the reality of the situation began to hit me. This stupid bird had my fishing pole and he wasn't giving it back. The pelican continued to head out in the bay. The poor bugger kept trying to fly, but he would only get 5-10 feet off the water's surface before more line would come out and drag him back under with a splash. The situation for both me and the bird seemed to become more hopeless by the minute. Finally, I had an idea. I noticed a guy pull up about 50 yards away and begin to get his windsurfing equipment out of his truck. I decided to give my idea a go. I approached the young man and told him my story. I pointed to the helpless bird, now about 150 yards out, and said, " he has my fishing pole. " I asked him if he would be willing to take his wind surfer out to the bird and see if he could disconnect the tangled mess and salvage my $25 Zebco rod and reel. He was a little skeptical, but he agreed to help me. He made his way out to the bird, and I don't know how he did it, but 15 minutes later I had the fishing pole back in my hands. It was a little worse for wear, but I would be able to use it again. The lesson that I learned that day was to never turn your back on a pelican! The prepretrator of the crime looked something like this. Lights out.
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