I enjoy fishing the Perch Hole.  There is a great blue heron that stays over on the far bank near that cypress, hunting minnows in the shallows.  I see him almost every time I am here.  He used to fly away but doesn’t any more.

The great blue heron is a curious bird that walks very slowly in stilt-like legs until he sees something and then quickly pecks at it.

The other reason I like fishing the Perch Hole is that it has not choupique in it.  Choupique are the best fighting fish in the area, but I will not eat them because they are ugly and taste bad.  However, if I am hungry enough, I would probably eat whatever is available.  According to my father, hunger affects a person’s selectivity.

Many of the older Cajun people like choupique, grinding them into meatballs.  As long as food has enough seasoning, people can eat anything.

My father doesn’t like to eat choupique because it has lived in the area for a very long time and should not be disturbed.  My father’s opinion is different than that of other people.

I love fishin’ the Perch Hole.  There’s a great blue heron that stays over in the far bank near that cypress, huntin’ minnows in the shallows.  I see him pretty much every time I’m here.  He used to fly away but he don’t no more.

Curious bird he is, walkin’ slow as winter on them stilt legs till he sees somethin’, then peckin’ like lightnin’.  I’m glad I’m not a minnow.

The other reason I like fishin’ the Perch Hole is that there ain’t no choupique in here.  Don’t get me wrong – choupique is the best fightin’ fish there is in these waters.  But I won’t eat ‘em normally ‘cause they’re seriously ugly and they taste like swamp, though if I’m hungry enough I’ll eat whatever there is.

As Daddy says, a hungry man ain’t normally a picky man.

A lot of the old Cajuns like choupique, though.  They’ll grind ‘em up into meatballs.  Some people figger that with enough cayenne, bay leaf, and shallots, you could eat a ground-up mule.  And I guess you could.

Daddy don’t like to eat choupique either, ‘less he’s desperate, but for a different reason.  He says choupique are like dinosaurs.  They’ve been around for about as long as the bayou itself, and somethin’ so old shouldn’t be messed with.

Daddy has peculiar notions.