Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-08-15
JUGGLING ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
One Method of Catching Big Cat
fish,

One Method of Catching Big Cat.
fish.
I don't know as this can be classed
as game fishing; but when the water
was clear and low and the channel
catfish were hungry, 1t was very excit-
ing sport. which in my younger days
l often INDUCED in with the keenest
enjoyment, writes s. E. Worrell I'm
Forest and Stream. But 1t Is too hard
work for an old man, and our great
river has been so thoroughly drained
by the market men with their bait and
trammel nets, trot lines and drag seines
1t promises very uncertain returns now.
was so unfortunate as to be obliged
to remain month at Hamburg, Cal
houn county, Illinois, a small landing
some fifty miles north Of st. Louis,
containing two trading stores, whose
chief sales were tobacco, sugar and
calico, and about a dozen dwellings. To
this day this country Is designated as
the Kingdom Of Calhoun" owing to
its isolated and peculiar condition.
While the surrounding territory Is
very populous and fertile, with all the
usual facilities Of business and inter-
course, this Is isolated by being bound
ed on the east, west and south by the
Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
It Is a long, narrow strip Of hilly
land, thereby untitled for the usual
agricultural products, sparsely popu-
lated by the old timers, who have
always exhibited the greatest antipa-
thy to the negro, not one Of whom has
been allowed to locate there, and they
even object to their travelling across
their district. Formerly this country
was heavily timbered, and its chief
products were cordwood and the best
oak barrel stuff and railroad ties that
were carted to the river landings and
boated to st. Louis; but these trees
were cleared out twenty-five years ago,
and, the hills being well adapted for
fruit culture, they introduced numer-
Gus orchards, and now export large
quantities Of our Ben Davis or Red
Missouri" apples.
Up to ten years ago the Kingdom Of
Calhoun" did not contain a telephone,
telegraph or express office, and to-day
has no railroad, while the boundary
counties are netted with them. Neither
does 1t afford any game fishing streams
or lakes. For this reason, having moth
P1,- hn tnuU
Of a heavily loaded barge Of machinery
up the river, I grew very weary until
1 thought Of Juggling, for which the
stage of the Mississippi was particu-
larly favorable at that time.
1t will be understood, as the name
implies, that this sport simply requires
dozen or so Of corked jugs, to the
handle of which Is secured a stout cot
ton line about No. SO, three feet long.
and a catfish hook baited with almost
anything from old meat to spoiled
cheese rind. Marketmen generally use
tin cans or dry white pine floats for
| this purpose. + found this tackle at
one Of the stores, and from that time
until my departure supplied free of
cost all the town Of Hamburg with the
| finest channel catfish, which, by the
way, is excellent eating, especially for
people who enjoy a buffalo or even
Dutch" carp. German" Is too re-
spectacle name for this contemplate
class Of the finny tribe.
To illustrate the details Of this sport
1 will give an account Of one Of my
most successful trips, explaining that
for fast and comparatively easy work
| 1t Is best for one to be accompanied
by a helper; but not being inclined to
the companionship Of any Of the loaf
ing natives, a brier root was enough
company.
Taking my skiff, I rowed up the riv-
er about three miles; then, batting the
hooks, 1 dropped the jugs across the
channel about twenty-five feet apart
and dropped behind. waiting results.
| In calm weather, when the water Is
smooth, a one FOUNDER will bob the
| floats perceptibly, and larger ones
will yank them around at a lively rate,
but 1t requires a big fish to sink them
for more than half a minute, and an
other thing Is that the game seldom
escapes-once hooked, they are there
for good.
had only had time TO pipe up and
| regain my wind after the arduous
exercise of rowing until the fun COM
| menced. A jug bobbed, and after 1t
l went, pulling in about a three pound
catfish. By the time the hook was re-
two jugs were jumping around, so
the sport was growing exciting and
somewhat laborious
This continued for about half an
hour, while was floating down stream,
securing more than a dozen Of fish of
from two to fifteen pounds, when some
thing surprising occurred. One Of the
jugs went down as a black bass takes
cork. Presently 1t appeared some
distance away, sliding rapidly over the
water. Grabbing the oars, I put after
1t, running bow on and jumping to
the front, only to see 1t sink quickly
and scoot off under the surface. Again
and again I went for 1t, with the same
results. Noticing that the disappear
ances were growing shorter, which in
dicated that the cat was getting tired,
as we'll as myself I rested, while the
fish still kept going with less efforts
until the float was nearly stationary.
Then I quietly padded alongside and
grabbed 1t with both hands, when down
| 1t went with rush that caused the
boat to take tub of water and pull
me nearly overheard.
Talk about your game fish-my expe-
rience with the rod and throw Ii
that the cat pulls more and dies hard
er than any other fish of equal size.
When a boy caught an eight FOUNDER
at noon and carried it up on the bank,
as l was afraid to string it with our
bass and crappy, where we could hear
it Topping around for some time.
| Nearly five hours later. when well
started home, my elder brother, finding
our big fish apparently dead and cover
ed with dirt and leaves, walked out on
| the fallen tree top to wash II or AS