The Washington times., 1923-01-14
CATF ISH TINE
NOW AT HAND
FOR ANGLER
Mid Winter Weather ThaWs
Out Many Followers Of the
Rod and Reel.
BY n. A. ANGLER.

BY r. A. ANGLER.
Yyl1E open winter has, had i
tendency to bring out cat
fish anglers earlier than
usuaI this year and followers ~
che sport look forward "a making
some big catches Of monster fish
between now, and the middle Of
March. OF course it takes lots
81 courage to don your fishing
togs and brave the cold, but Il one
is warmly dressed there Is no fear
OF punishment from the weather.
The catfish Il the. nearest thing
70 3 game fish that can Be found
In local waters ana the channel
cat, blue cat ana mississippi cat
are the aporfiest and gainfest Of
their tribe. Many an angler, or IL
would be safe to say, all anglers,
at one time or another, by the
eaneness Of this skin fish, have
been completely fooled into think
ing they had hooked q garnester
untn the fish hove into fun view.
FISH rood.
The three species 81 this catfish
family named above win take near
Iy all natural bats. They have q
fC1idness Tor n1innOWs, frogs and
craWfish and have occasionally
been landed on artificial lures.
proving that their gAn1eness is not
far removed. The lowlv angle
worm is also d dainty mOrseI that
the bigamoufhed fellow also enjoys
and attacks 1t in such d greedy
manner that often times the angler
Is forced to remove the hook from
his stomach. The fayorite bats
and the ones that are used with
telling effects during the winter
months are beef liver, raw beef.
chicken. entrails and si1Ad ertraiIs.
Chicken liver also makes an ex.
cellent bait, but should be rolled III
q little alum ct least the day be-
fore using.
THE EQUIPMENT.
An ordinary outfit is Just a. ef-
fective az. the more expensive, but,
Of course. IL one IL after fha
thrills. light tackle Is recommend.
ed, In fact, quite q few anglers 80
after. catfish with the same equip
Inent that they use In bass fishing.
Hooks should be large rather than
small, as they take large hook
as easily as q small one when
properly baited. It will be found
easier to disgorge the big hooks
than the little ones
Care should be taken in refnov.
ing the hooks as one squirm. Of
the fish may mean q sore hand
for q couple Of days. as his horns
are long and sharp.
HABITS DURING SPAWNING.
Catfish usually spawn from one
to two months later than the bass,
that is TO say, during the months
of June and July. The male win
burFow into entertainments and un-
der rocks and logs to prepare q
nest suitable to his taste ana after
completion will seek q partner.
YOUNG FISH.
The fry Of the catfish are color
less, and because Of their tendancy
to collect among the roots and
difficult to see. They become dark
er in short period and are easy
to distinguish. Day by day they
become more accustomed to their
surroundings and rise q few inches
off the bed, returning at night.
Increasing their distance each day
they eventually reach the surface,
During this period the parent
has given them the same attention
as when they were in the egg
stage. Gradually the school en-
larges to such an extent that the
parent has difficulty in keeping
the youngsters together. They are
crowded into shoal water--a nat.
ural feeding ground-wllere they
are watched over. But they
eventually divide into groups, es-
cape their guardian and shift for
themselves.
Catfish fry school longer than
any species in our local waters,
remaining together usually through.
out their first year.
ANGLERS MEETING.
One of the biggest meetings ever
held by the Potomac Anglers is
looked for next Wednesday even.
| ing, at Musicians Hall, Tenth and
e streets. George A. Lawyer, chief
United States game warden, will
be the speaker for the evening.
Refreshments will be served. Mem
berA are requested to bring one or
| more friends and help make the
first meeting Of 1928 a record
breaker.
GOOD LINES.
One Of the charms Of angling is
that 1t presents an endless field
for argument, speculation, and ex.
periment.-T. e. Pritt.
There is certainly something in
angling that tends to produce q
gentleness of spirit and a pure
serenity of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Irv.
ing.
In spite of what elderly gentle
men may say to the contrary, an
ignorant countryman, with his sap.
| ling rod and coarse tackle, never
takes the largest fish nor the
greatest in quantity.-Robert B.
Roosevelt.