A few years back I was visiting my Mother in North Carolina. I decided to go fishing at the Black River because I was told that I could fish there for the biggest fish I had ever seen in my life. I packed up my fishing gear into the car and went on a fishing trip at the Black River. I fished there for three and a half hours, my pole never moved and I went home skunked that day. The next day I was told by a family member that I was not setting in the right place, so I set out with my family member to find the right fishing spot. I parked my car and we went to this path that led us to the mouth of the Black River, and we set up our fishing poles with the excitement that the big one will be caught now.
We sat there for four or five hours I think, and never seen the tip of the poles move. Seems to me we were drowning a worm without ever bending a pole a single moment for that two day fishing trip. Well that was enough for me, fish for the big ones, YA RIGHT. The very next day a friend of the family and I were at the chicken wing place a few blocks from my mothers home. He began to explain to me that I was fishing in the wrong place and I was using the wrong bate. Here we go with the grate and mighty fishing story's again, I thought to myself. We went to the supermarket to get our bait,????? anyway, he went to the meat section and bought some chicken livers and hearts. I know enough about fishing for this to tell me he was going for catfish.
I went a step further, I went to the seafood department and bought a bag of large shrimp to catch the larger catfish. I spent eleven dollars for a bag that contained sixty five large shrimp, and my friend looked at me like I was crazy for spending that amount for fishing. I explained to him that this is the third day of fishing for me, the first two fishing trips I got skunked, and I know that shrimp attracts catfish. Well let me tell you that third time is a charm, we went to the same spot I had been the day before. I placed my large shrimp on my hook, tossed my line out under a tree close to the bank. one-hour, two-hour, and three-hours went by without one single nibble, SKUNKED AGAIN.
Kinda flustered, because I was having such bad luck with fishing for the last three days, "What a good waste of time." I carried all the fishing gear up to the car, walked back to fetch my pole, I bent over to take my fishing pole out of the pole holder when all of a sudden my pole bent over so far it almost put the tip of the pole in the water. Excitement, Adrenalin, and energy raced through my body with a tingle of joy as I pulled up my pole in the air to set the hook. Real in, drag zinging out, Real in, Keep the line tight, Real in, Zing as the drag flings out, Your get the point. Anyway, I worked this fish in until my forearms and wrists hurt. When the fish was finally netted and brought to shore, I believe my eyes almost fell right out of the socket because of what I was looking at. I had caught a catfish bigger then I had ever seen in my lifetime.
We went back to the car and got our fishing boxes back out and decided to fish for a little longer. I took out my scale and tape measure, to weigh the catfish. This catfish had a mouth so big, I could have stuck my arm in up to my shoulder, my scale went up to fifty pounds, this catfish weighed in at fifty pounds. and from the tip of the tail to the tip of its nose it was twenty-nine inches long. I got the catfish on the stringer with a double loop, so I would not loose it. I put a new large shrimp on my hook and tossed my line almost in the same spot. a few seconds latter my pole went crazy, I grabbed the pole pulled it up in the air to set the hook, and fought with this bad boy for quite some time. I ended up catching four large catfish that night, and o boy was that so much fun. As for my friend who went with me fishing, he caught and landed two catfish that could not be weighed in because they were so heavy the scale seemed like it was about to brake, I think they had to be between fifty-five Lbs and sixty Lbs, guess we will never know for sure. We went home with five of the largest catfish I have ever caught during my lifetime.
I came back to Michigan with a memory that I have never forgot and I will take it to my grave. My son, friend, and I went fishing one day at the boardwalk to fish for perch, when we tossed our lines in we all began to nibbles at the same time, now that was just plane crazy to see this happen all at once. Well we began to real in and land yellow belly catfish one after another. We filled up the large cooler with catfish that day. We cleaned twenty-one catfish. I will never forget the excitement I had with these two exciting times of fishing.
On both trips I used a pole that is fifteen years old, and that is the famous Ugly Stick the unbreakable pole. (I use this rod for Salmon fishing as well) and a open face real, with number four hooks. I was lucky on both occasions, and I don't expect it will ever happen to me again. God be with you always, Your friend in Christ Jesus, Mark
