When I was just a kid back in Illinois on the Fox River, I had a nice little business going where I caught fish and sold them to the folks in my hometown. My technique, called “grubbing,” was a tad unorthodox but successful. I knew how those big, old blue catfish dearly loved to hide in holes in the riverbank... so I would swim along, and when I discovered one of those holes, I would stick my hand in there and feel around. If the catfish were home, I would grab him, and somebody was soon going to be eating catfish. One day I had caught several fish in this manner and was dragging them behind me on a stringer. As I moved along with just my head above the surface, I noticed a man standing on the riverbank watching me.
“Hey kid,” he shouted, “whatcha doing there?” I called back to him, “Catching catfish!”
He laughed, “Why son, you are surely wasting your time,” he exclaimed, “you can’t catch fish that way!”
Just then, I found a hole and running my hand in there. I soon had another catfish. I stood up and made a big show of putting that fish on the stringer along with the others I had caught. I called to the man, “you are probably right, mister, but I gotta keep trying!”
When I looked at that fellow, he was standing there staring at me with his mouth hanging open like he was catching flies. That was the first time I ever saw anybody literally struck speechless. It’s a good thing to remember that any fool can point out why a certain thing can’t be done, but It’s not a good thing to interrupt the man, or boy, that’s doing it.
Live fully,
Love openly,
And make a difference today.
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MamaMia
I saw them doing that on TV, on the program "River Monsters" in Louisiana. They called it noodling. You were a brave boy! No way, would I stick my hand in a hole under the water! I would be afraid a snapping turtle would snap my hand off. A good ol' cane pole would do it for me, fishing, Mr. Towne. LOL
Sunday, February 26, 2023 Report this
Charles
Mama Mia, I suppose you are right, but then there is always a calculated risk about life isnt there? We did the same thing with snapping turtles but we called that grubbing! Good fishing, Chaz
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Report this
Richardmvelho
When I was a young boy visiting my grandparents by the lake, I would often stand on the pier with my cane pole and fish for sunfish or bluegills, pan fish. There were these tiny fish about the size of goldfish, I was told were called blackheads which I guess were some species of catfish but were considered pests. If grandpa was along, we would use the boat and go catch northern pike or small mouth bass! I never knew that "Hillbilly Handfishing" reached up to Illinois! Better times then, now you'd need a license to catch them and another one to sell them!
Mamma Mia so good to see you again, I have missed you!
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 Report this
Charles
Richard, AREN'T MEMORIES WONDERFUL? IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AND MAMA MIA ON LINE. CHAZ
Friday, March 10, 2023 Report this