Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-09-12
CATCHING CATFISH.
Exciting Sport in the Inland Waters
of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The little son Of the agent of the
Southern Pacific company, stationed
at Bayou das Allemands, had quite
an adventure the other day while fish
ing for the gay and everything cat
fish. The little fellow was out in the
river in a fat bottomed beat. and,
while handling his line, suddenly be-
came aware that something out Of the
ordinary was at the other end of it.
The line, which he was holding rather
Slackly, became apparently alive and
in a moment was whizzing through
his fingers as if Old Nick himself was
on the hook. The boy endeayored to
stay its outward flight, but to no pur-
pose, aud he had the satisfa elton of
seeing the end reached in quick order.
Fortunately for the remainder of the
story, the end was securely fastened
to the boat, and as the line tautened
out the little craft began a series of
maneuyerS ON the surface of the river
and the boy, becoming alarmed at the
unusual occurrence, yelled for assist
ance.
The craft went ON with the Hood
in the one end the boy, on the other
a powerful something ur another,
which, content with giving j sample
Of it's skill as a head-on propeller,
kept its bulk hidden beneath the
ing end the boat a-going, until several
men Oh the bank of the bayou, hear
ing the cries, embarked in skiff,
and, armed with a harpoon-they had
been there demonstrated for the boy
and the boat and the something VI
other, still under the water, but &C
casiOnally breaking the surface. as il
it wanted to fly.
When the rescuerS reached the flying
craft, one of them seized the tautened
fish lime, and sesltentiously remark
ing "Grande escaille,'' began to shorten
in, and in about five minutes of hard
work had brought the capture along
side, where it began cavOrting and
plunging, throwing the water in
cloud. Another of the men, Selling
the harpoon, watched an opportunity,
and in a few minutes more darted the
steel into the cleaning sides of the
fish, for such it was, and little while
longer and the spirited deniZen of the
muddy Des Auemands was sans life,
sans action.
When the bank was reached the
capture was taken ashore. 1t proved
to be a splendid species of the tar
pom, OF. silver fish family, and meas
ured over six feet in length, its scale
being larger than silver dollar and
cleaning with silver luster and fecked
with a multitude of other colors. The
boy was none the worse for his adj
venture, and seemed proud of his
catch. The presence Of the tarpon in
the inland water is not DIT all surprS-
ing, for at seasons of the year when
RIVER water becomes low and the
blackish water begins To ascend the
strea nus from the gulf, large numbers
of the noted fish assemble IN the ed
dies Of these streams, seeking for
food. 1t is very seldom, however, that
one is caught by boy fishing for cat
fish; as the usual method OF captur
ing the tarpon in the localities where
it is not hunted with a very elaborate
outfit along the gulf coast, is to watch
it break in the Swirls, and gig the
the waters of the great lakes afore-
fish before it plunges out of sight.
The residents of the great lakes of
the tchafalaya have been known to
harpoon the grand ecaille,' as it is
there called, from the interior Of a
pirouge. The favorite method Of the
fish to introduce itself to the attention
of an unwary mariner is to
suddenly leap into the air
near the proximity of the boat, and
frequently the fish has been known to
drop into the skif or pirouge, with
the usual effect of either swapping
the vessel or driving it's occupants
to the extremity of jumping over the
side until his fshship either gets tired
humping the sides or leaps out again.
New Orleans Times-Democrat