The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03
BOBBING FOR CATFISH.
The Logy Creatures Come DIP Like Cold
Potato, But Some sportsmen Like 1t.
From the Chteapo Record.


The catfish. with his oily whiskers and retreat
ing forehead, is not TO be scornfully sneezed at
by the dicciples Of the late l. Walton. Ii is true
that he is not fighter like salmo fontnals or
the black bass, but he can pull a cork under with
tho best OF them, and when properly cooked he
IL duly appreciated by both the owly and the high
ly. Catfish steak is prime feeding for a hungry
man and the channel cat and his less esteemed
brother the yellow bellied mud cat are both
held in high favor by denizens OF the Msaisslppi
valley. The name catfish is given, SO the science
people and the natural history books say, on
account OF the purrng sound they give when
taken from the water As my experience with
literary and scientific catfish has been limited
have never heard one pur when his Ans were
being stroked. We used 10 think they were called
catfish because Of their dainty Japanese whiskors
have caught many a channel catfish and many
a yellow bellied one in the Mississippi valley
but they never purrod, climbed fences nor OK
hlbited the characteristics noted by the PROBES
sors
In Canteen creek the Hundred and Two river
the Nvdaway and Mississippi rivers 1 have trailed
the low-browed catfish to his lair and with fish
worm, 'bopber" and long cane pole, have made
him captive. And anyone who has known him
and grown up with him, 40 TO say, will admit
that he is a most useful and unobuusive fish
willing TO swallow worm down TO the last wrinkle
Of his ultimate I'm and hold fast TO all you givo
him IL this earnestnees Of bollof on the part
OF the catfish that n swallowed halt belongs 10
him which precludes his getting away whom
once you have him hooked. He could not spit
out the bait like bass To accomplish such q
feat he would have 10 turn himself inside out
side il he got rid Of il
Sometimes ii becomes necessary TO dissect a
catfish TO get the hook again The sim piost way
is 10 take lot OF hooks and plenty Of line and give
each fish the hook he swallows and foot or 10
of line. II will save hard feelings and boaides,
If a catfish ever "gsGs- you with his horns when
you are trying to extract the hook 1t will prove
as painful as the sting OF teverish hornet
The channd catfish is much iveliar mem
Der Of the family than his brother the mud cat
He will bite al minnows and in swift running
water when he is OF three Ut four pounds weig hit
he will give the fisherman quite tussie In
the Mississippi river he and the other members
OF the family grow TO enormous sizs some
times weighing over 100 pounds Tho large ones
arc generally caught in nets, but l recoIlect one
OF seventy five pounds being caught from wharf
boat after two rustabouts had come 10 the rescue
OF the fisherman He was being slowly but surely
dragged into the river by the fish, and being
boy OF only about 100 pounds in weight IL was a
case Of nip and tuck between him and the channel
cat
But the beauty Of fishing tor the yellow bcffiod
catfish in the smaller rivers and creeks In that
you can make such lazy, dreamy outing Of II
We used TO go 10 the Hundred and Two river in
Northern Missouri and get great stores OF the
uad cats We took several cane poles, long
ones and plenty Of abe-bodied fish worms There
were three bends in the stream which the catfish
a
day of it al these bends Our lines wcre enc
but strong and thr hooks were baited with two
or three worms and sometimes with q piece Of
beef We would cut pronEed sticks from the
trees and drive them into the river bank with tho
prongs up Then We would press each pole into
the bank and lot IL lie ON tho pIonged stick for
a rest and the elevation OF tho pole thus obtained
would keep the bobber from floating too far away
The line of "bobbers, red, blue, yellow and white
would be about Ave or six fest apart
to the bank aud tho shade Of the timber threw
At these bends in the streams the trees wore oioso
shadows out about twenty feet on the waser
We would lie back under the trees and browse and
dose in delicious haze while watching the bob
bers" The sun beat down on tho oaka hick-
cries Gins and Eastwood trees and light winds
ruffled the surface Of the river The "bobs" seen
through half shut eyes, danced and nodded and
and swayed and ducked when the catfish began
to investigate the bait When a fish was hooked
fairly the "bobbcr would disappear entirely from
sight and We would run down and get the pole.
hauling the Ash out and up into the trees and
gather round him if he was q big fellow and ad-
mirc him Many a summer day have l spent in
this way with tho sun prying down through the
leaves and only the burzards trailing in the upper
skies and an occasional vicious "sweatbee" dart
ing about to mar the quiet Of those hours
VIII Ell we beg TO see the "bobbers" go under
we got the "strinEer" out which was a stout cord
with an iron pin al one end to string the fish with
and stick at the other end to prevent them from
slipping of. This "stringer" We tied 10 a stick
driven in close 10 the waters edge and catch"
hoated in the shallow water close to shore until
We were ready TO go home We would get as
many as twenty thirty mudcats in a days
fishing, two of us, with an occasional "shiner.
and a long intervals a bass or a google eye
These were all dragged in from the water when
We started back, put in q splint basket and Gov
cred with wit leaves and grass They were not
taken of of the "stringer" for when we reached
home the idea was to hold the string up proudly
and say, "Looky here"
A man would not care TO catch yellow bal
lied catfish II s Il boys sport And yet a man
will not disdain TO eat them They do not fgh hit
much Simply pull down hard on the cork and
come reluctantly twisting through tho air when
they are hauled out In the Mississippi the mar
kct fishermen catch the big fellows, ten, twenty
and forty FOUNDERS by tying strong lines to empty
jugs the hooks baited with meat liver or a bunch
OF fish worms They follow the jugs down stream
and when one of them begins TO 60 under and
come up and repeat the act they tow after II and
separate the catfish from it These big nsh arc
marketed and steaks cut from them and sold like
beef.
In the rivers whero there arc shallow beds of
sand and gravel, or shallow reaches where very
little shade is to be had during the day tho boys
get catfish in very simple yet effective way
The catfish, being shade loving FISH, goes brows-
ing around during the heat OF the day looking
for cool place to lie in. An old stump or a piece
of timber sticking up in tho current will suit him