Sunday, June 7, 2009

What's Biting Today?

I fished today. At the local Shell I asked where I could buy bait. “You’re in the right place,” said the clerk, and sold me 2 dozen night crawlers $2.99/dozen. “I hope you catch a load,” she said, “and I don’t mean coal.”

So I get to the Big River (that's its name), dazzled & stupefied with the joy of first-fishing-of-the-year. About 60% of the time spent untangling, retying, cussing, getting hook out of bushes, etc. Thunder in the distance. An angler across the river caught a catfish. I want one. I won’t leave. Finally, God lets my old folding chair’s nylon seat rip in half, suddenly dumping my ass full-force on wet sand. I only hoped nobody saw this, because I bet it looked hilarious. Took this as a divine signal to go home.

1 comment:

Buford Nature said...

Have you tried a trotline? I camped once for 6wks along the Ocklawaha River in FL, and had a fresh catfish almost every day that way.

My trotline had 12 hooks on 3ft leaders set appx 10ft apart in a non-flowing backwater (oxbow) amongst cypress and popash.

I had to release 2 bowfin for every catfish caught, though. Be prepared for a really big fish. The largest fish I ever boated was a 19.5 lb, 29.5 in channel cat caught on that trotline. I was in a kayak, too! LOL