The Adventures of Wrangler and Rowdy

For Our Kids: May your love of the ocean always run at high tide.

It all started one warm morning in Boggy Bayou. As the sun came up, two little fish eggs hatched, and the redfish minnows wiggled and giggled their way around the water. Redfish brother and sister Wrangler and Rowdy were born, and they swam off together into the warm waters of the Matagorda Bay.

Every day brought something new—boats, birds, dolphins, bait fish, fishermen and, of course, plenty of adventures.

The Little Flounder

One beautiful morning, Wrangler and Rowdy were swimming along the sandy bottom of Matagorda Bay looking for breakfast.

“Rowdeeeeeee,” Wrangler whined. “I’m STARVING! I think I could eat an entire school of shrimp!”

“You are always starving,” Rowdy laughed. “Just slow down. There are plenty of shrimp around here.”

Suddenly, Wrangler stopped.

“ROW-DY!” He whispered loudly.

“What?” She asked.

“Look at the sand!”

Rowdy looked down but didn't see anything.

Then two little eyes popped up from the sandy bottom.

“AHHHH!” Wrangler yelled, jumping backward.

The sand moved.

Out popped a small flounder.

Wrangler started laughing. “You scared me! I thought the bottom of the bay had come alive!”

The little flounder giggled.

“My name is Finn,” he said. “Hiding in the sand is what flounder do best.”

Before Wrangler could say another word, something shiny dropped through the water.

A hook.

And dangling from it was the juiciest piece of bait Finn had ever seen.

“YUM!” Finn shouted.

“WAIT!” Rowdy yelled.

But it was too late.

SNAP!

Finn grabbed the bait.

Suddenly, the fishing line pulled tight.

Finn shot straight up from the bottom.

“HELP!” He screamed.

“FINN!” Yelled Rowdy.

The little flounder twisted and turned as the line pulled him toward the surface.

“I’m scared!” Finn cried. “What is happening?”

“You've been caught!” Rowdy yelled.

Wrangler and Rowdy swam as fast as their fins could carry them, following Finn toward the surface.

Finn was terrified.

The hook was stuck in his mouth, and no matter how much he wiggled, he couldn't get free.

“Hold on, Finn!” Wrangler shouted. “We’re right here!”

Up, up, up Finn went until suddenly he disappeared out of the water.

Wrangler and Rowdy stopped just below the surface.

“Oh no,” Wrangler whispered.

For once, even Wrangler didn't have anything funny to say.

Above the water, a young fisherman carefully held Finn.

“Dad! I caught a flounder!” The boy shouted.

“Great job!” His dad said. “But before we decide whether we can keep him, what do we have to do?”

The boy thought for a second.

“Measure him?”

“Exactly.”

The boy gently laid Finn beside his measuring ruler.

Finn's heart was pounding.

“What are they doing to me?” He wondered.

The boy looked at the measurement.

“He's too small.”

His dad smiled.

“That's right. And what does that mean?”

“We have to let him go.”

The boy carefully removed the hook.

Then his dad reminded him, “That's why we check the fishing regulations before we go fishing. Fishermen need to know which fish they can keep, how big they need to be, how many they can keep and when special rules might apply.”

The boy nodded.

“We want there to be lots of flounder left for the future.”

“Exactly,” his dad said. “Being a good fisherman isn't just about catching fish. It's about taking care of them too.”

The boy leaned over the side of the boat and gently placed Finn back into the water.

SPLASH!

Finn disappeared beneath the surface.

“FINN!” Wrangler shouted.

Finn wiggled his tail and swam as fast as he could toward his new friends.

“You're okay!” Rowdy said.

“I thought I was going home in somebody's cooler!” Finn cried.

Wrangler's eyes grew huge.

“Don't even SAY that!”

Finn laughed nervously.

“I was really scared.”

Rowdy smiled. “But that fisherman did the right thing. He measured you, saw that you were too small to keep and put you back in the water.”

Wrangler puffed out his chest.

“Well, I was about to swim up there and rescue you myself.”

Rowdy looked at him.

“Wrangler, you can't breathe out of the water.”

Wrangler paused.

“Oh.”

Finn started laughing.

Rowdy continued, “Fishing rules are there for a reason. Small fish need time to grow. Many of them need the chance to become adults and help make more fish.”

“So,” Finn said, “if people keep fish that are too small, there might not be as many fish in the future?”

“Exactly,” said Rowdy.

Wrangler thought about that for a minute.

“So, fishermen should know the rules before they ever put a hook in the water?”

“Yep,” Rowdy said. “A good fisherman learns what kind of fish he might catch, what size is legal to keep, how many he can keep and any other rules for that day and place.”

Finn smiled.

“And they should have a measuring ruler ready!”

“And know how to carefully release a fish that is too small,” Rowdy added.

Wrangler nodded seriously.

Then he looked at Finn.

“There is one more rule you should learn.”

“What?” Finn asked.

Wrangler pointed toward another piece of bait sinking through the water.

“STOP EATING FOOD WITH HOOKS IN IT!”

Finn's eyes got big.

The three fish burst out laughing.

As they swam away together through Matagorda Bay, Finn knew he had been very lucky.

And somewhere above them, a young fisherman had learned an important lesson, too.

Before you go fishing, learn the rules. Know the fish. Know the legal sizes and limits. Bring what you need to measure your catch, and if a fish is too small, carefully put it back so it can grow.

Because the best fishermen don't just know how to catch fish.

They know how to protect them, too.

And Wrangler?

Well, he promised Rowdy that he had learned something from the whole adventure.

But Rowdy knew Wrangler.

There was always another adventure waiting just around the bend.