Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-06-20
Cat-FiShing in the Olden Time
THE Triton (Ga.) Gazette.)

(The Triton (Ga) Gazette)
Look out you've bite; let him have it little
longer Now!'
Good Lord; get a torch. boys; Johns flung catfish
over to old man Mauldin's" the boy excited and
nervous had brought his bay pole with all
his strength, and the unlucky catfish on the end or
line described a semi-circe with swish
kerplunk far into the behind the fishing
party
if sportive On the strip OF steep
bank between of tangled bushes Of the
swamp in the and the sluggish but deep stream
the group of fishers gathered. Two old men
white-haired Longfeow, the other with heavy
beard just beginning to show gray; three boys two
approaching manhood, the other the amateur fisher
girls in their early teens.
Along the bank at various points they sat. holding
poles with lines reaching into the black waters Ever
hooks gently lifted, danged and let
sink again. tempting the hesitating catfish The ami
mated and expecant countenances sihouetted in the
pickering light, the voices, the surrounding
swamp with its unknown and exaggerated dangers,
formed a scene would have made the fortune Of
the artist with talent to put it
The bearded man and the boy, passing that way,
had stopped overnight with the old mans family for
few hours fishing 1t in late spring, the water
low, and catfish biting. Before shutdown the
boys had searched in the lowlands earhworms for
bait Where the tiny mound of fresh worked dirt
showed the presence of the the top they
would for them
Carefully blowing away the EARTH the hole the
had burrowed showed plainly; not lump earth
must fall in, the game lost Then, a clear
way, one straw of wiregrass down the hole,
In few moments few feet away, the worm would
begin to come out urged by the tickling of
Mum was the word then; the least and back
ne would 60 When at last he had dragged his length
twelve inches morethe worm was dropped into the
bait gourd and dozen plenty for a fishing party.
Before dark the fishers started for the Warrior
old man carrying his pet pole of cane, boys stop
ping on the way to gather what lghtwood they could
carry For some distance along path through the
swamp they found their way then the
log Just VIDE enough for foothod At last, beside
small lake where experience had proved the catfish fed
they stopped, and just the shades Of night were
railing the hrelight displaced the gathering gloom.
From the swamp every side young, slender poles
were cut and trimmed lines and hooks attached, the
hooks baited with piece of and carefully let
down to within few inches of bottom, then
gently agitated now and then to give the the
appearance of floating down. Soon there was a gentle
ntbble the cork (if used) going under then
steader pull and if the fish did not under root,
he landed.
The bit just dark; then interval for
conversation yarn spinning, then they began biting
again Occasionally, perhaps, eel came up, with
squeal from the girls who thought it snake; but
before the hour of midnight there plenty and
spare of the smaller catfish, with meat white and
delicious, be fried brown and eaten with
bread washed down with black coffee for breakfast of
the larger cats to form the center for big pot of cat
fish stew Ga compound of many good things with
epcures seasoning sometimes called chowder) for the
morrows dinner
Then twigs were cut with right fork, which
the catfish strung they were gathered from
among the sand and leaves the burdens divided be-
pine splinters that wandering moccasn might be
stepped on unawares Indian fle they marched along
the homeward path, the older ahead, behind the
young folks trailing, while the boys raised
with gun and knapsack, soon well go
Marching away to old Mexico; t..
fight for country we're inclined.
hearts with Cindy. left behind"
Many veterans the Mexican war were living then,
and they had brought from field and camp with them
songs of the old times legacy their chill
dren.
of the fishers, two living. Long since the
older ones have gone rest; the others to
hood or to womanhood, married and died; those left
past the when sport is other than recrea
ton Still, memory, the group along the
bank of in the light of the fire, fishing
earnestly and zeaously If the fate of nations and
not the morrow's meal, depended and, lit with the
light youth, glow the faces, although know thai
many years the majority have been dust, and that
those still living scanned with the ebb and flowing
tides time and the that maturity brings
a small boys idea of forgiving injury in
INV hoV c tn lick i'm first and for