There's more than one way to catch a catfish

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 “grubbing” technique 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 was 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

Charles Towne

About the Author

Charles Towne shares that, first and foremost, he is a Christian, but also an octogenarian, local Apopka author, journalist, wildlife photographer, naturalist, caregiver, and survivor. His life has been, and continues to be, a never-ending adventure filled with possibilities never imagined. He has adopted the philosophy that living fully, laughing uproariously, loving passionately, and learning like there is no tomorrow, is a formula for a long and joy-filled life.