Chasing "Mr. Whiskers" (Part II)

[Gr8ful Fish]

My son, Adam, begged me to promise that we could try Turkey Swamp again as soon as possible as he was serious about checking the channel cat off of his "buket list." In fact, as I put him to bed on Monday night, his last words as he drifted off to sleep were mutterings about catching a channel catfish bigger than his sister's by switching to some heavier tackle.

As soon as I walked in the door on Tues. after a long commute and a long day of work, Adam met me at the door saying "it's not raining, can we go try to catch a channel cat?" Although I was exhausted & we only had about an hour before dark, I told him "you get your boots and I'll get the gear."

This time, instead of bringing his Pirates of the Caribbean kid's rod/reel combo spooled with 6# mono, I brought a pair of my light action spinning oputfits that were spooled with 20# braided line, and I also brought along a large landing net to make it easier to get the fish on the bank. Once again, chunks of hot dogs were our bait of choice.

We set up in the exact same spot as the previous evening, and it didn't take long for Adam to score on another slab bluegill that we quickly released. A short while later, one of the rods was slammed, and Adam went to work on a fish that I knew was a catfish by the way it was rolling back and forth as he fought it. When he got the fish on bank, I thought he was going to jump out of his skin from the excitement.

After getting a few photos, we released the 13-14 incher, and we went back to fishing; it didn't take long before Adam got another great strike. I could tell as soon as he set the hook that this one was considerably bigger than the previous one. Adam expertly played the fish to the bank where I scooped it into the net. This fish was so fat, it's belly looked like it had a softball inside. Once again, we photo'd the fish before its release, and you could see that Adam was bursting with a sense of pride and accomplishment ... especially when a couple of older kids and an adult stopped by to admire his catch during our photo session. He had finally bested his "big boy" cat.

With daylight fading fast, we fished for a few more minutes, and Adam set the hook on another bite. Just like on the previous day, this "fish" came in as dead weight. When it got near shore, I saw a bunch of bubbles escaping to the surface; I knew right away that he had another snapping turtle.

This time armed with braided line and a landing net, I figured we had a chance to get it on the bank. However, when I tried to net the monster, he wouldn't fit in the net. This friggin thing was ENORMOUS ... it looked like the turtle creature that fought Godzilla when I was kid. I used the net to "steer" him onto the bank, but he instantly became a very agitated and pizzed-off critter. Luckily, the hook fell out of his mouth as he was struggling on shore. I tried to get a photo, but by the time, I got my camera and the flash went off, he was already heading back into the drink.

We packed up our stuff as the park was getting ready to close, and before we even left the parking lot, Adam was calling his Mom to tell her the great news of his success on the catfish and the turtle. Listening to the excitement in his voice was truly one of those rare gifts that only a parent will ever get to experience; and it made me realize once again just how blessed I am to have a child that shares my passions and hobbies. I hope that his love of the outdoors continues, and I look forward to a lifetime of similar Father/Son experiences in the future.

- Gr8ful


Adam's 1st Ever Channel Cat



Adam's "Big Boy" Channel Cat