Every time I look in the mirror! 😉

Seriously, I can look out over my back deck and see deer, numerous bird types, squirrels, rabbit and such, on a daily basis.

I also work in the wilderness of Ky. Lake. I see eagles, osprey, ducks, geese, deer, snakes (most of which I can easily identify,) loons, pelican, coots, heron, egret, gulls, kingfisher, cormorant, and probably a couple I can’t think of at the moment, all this just getting to where I’m going to dive.

Then when I hit the water, I see turtles, fish, mostly bass/bream/minnow/catfish/eel/and drum, mussel shells, asian shells, zebra shell, (both asian and zebra are invasive species,) unidentified larva hatches, worms, and jellies. Many fish are too concerned about their health to get close enough that I can get a good look at them. Bass are intelligent enough to be curious, they will come and check you out. I’ve had them look me right in the eye. Sometimes, as I’m stirring up the bottom, and little minnow type fish dash for new cover, the bass will use me to hunt by. I’ve even made friends with a bass or two in my day. When they investigate they will swim by in front of me slow, just at arms reach and I will put my hand out to see if I can touch them. The first time or two they won’t let me. Then they might let me touch them for just a moment. Then they get comfortable enough I can touch them as they swim by. Once they get comfortable enough with me, I’ve had them get right up next to my face, and look through my mask, into my eyes. One even rolled over a tad to get a better angle to see me. Bass are interesting if you will take a moment and let them investigate you.

Once I saw a small bass who was lethargic, slow moving. He was just piddling in front of me as I worked. I noticed one of his eyes was terribly cataract. Glazed over badly. I surmised the little guy was hungry. So I took a shell out of my sack, used my knife to cut it open, and I offered the mussel meat as a gift. That bass snatched it up so fast it startled me. That little guy was so happy, he started rubbing up against me like a happy puppy dog. Wiggling from side to side, if a fish could smile I swear he was smiling at me. I cut open two or three more shells and fed him till I could see his belly was stuffed. That bass followed me closely for the rest of my dive. I never saw him again. But I’ll never forget the experience. I was truly amazed that a fish could show an emotion of happiness/gratitude. Did not know it was even possible. But I experienced it. I’ve never really looked at fish the same since.

The jellies, I don’t even know what they are actually. They show up in the fall, and they are a gelatinous blob of unknown (by me,) origin. They range from as big as a half dollar to the size of a dinner plate and can be several inches 8-10″! thick. They tend to be circular, but not always perfectly so, and they feel really creepy when you accidentally grab hold of one.

Was walking the lake bank with the wife recently, and saw some jellies. This is what they look like. Sorry there’s nothing in the shot for perspective, but that large one was at least 6″ across. They can be anywhere out there on the bottom. These just happen to have washed up on the bank.

EDIT EDIT EDIT:

I learned something today, after decades of not knowing what these damn things are, I Googled it! To think, all of these years, I could have just freaking Googled it. The jellies are: “A colony of the freshwater bryozoan Pectinatella magnifica. Freshwater bryozoans are tiny colonial animals that can form jelly-like masses, which are often found attached to sticks or docks.  Bryozoan colonies can be as much as a foot (30 cm) in diameter.”

I have seen these things almost as big as a bowling ball. I talked to another diver once who told me he stuck his hand down in the middle of one like that, left there for a minute, and was rewarded with a very nasty sting. Whether there’s any truth to that I do not know. I decided then and there, not to try and reproduce the same result. 😉 I remain unknowledgeable in that department to this day.

More info, with links and a video here:

https://askanaturalist.com/jelly-like-blob-under-my-dock/

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