by Sylvester Pierpoint (aka John Jeffries)

Created on: February 11, 2009

THE KING OF THE RIVER Some fishermen prefer salt water fishing and spend their time chasing Dolphin along the grass lines or trolling for the mighty Marlin. Some giants of the deep are huge and do provide a thrilling experience for the fishermen who catch them. Other fishermen prefer fresh water fishing and traverse the many rivers and lakes in search of a prize catch such as a record Large Mouth Bass or Stripped Bass or a Trout even. Some fishermen don't bother with any of these game fish and prefer to go after the really big scavenger of fresh water fish, the king of the river, the giant Catfish.

There have been reports from many parts of the country detailing the huge size of Catfish being caught in their area with some weighing in excess of two hundred pounds. The Blue Fin is a large Catfish that can be found in abundance in several Southern and South Western waters around most hydroelectric dams. The largest Catfish I personally have seen weighed 74 pounds and was caught in the Alabama River. The fish was being transported in an old Plymouth sedan and stretched completely across the back floor board with its tail going up the side of the door. It was said to have been caught while "Jug" fishing the main channel of the river. For those unfamiliar with this method of fishing, it involves the use of sealed gallon size milk jugs with a short baited line tied to the handle and placed in the water to float freely down the channel. The jugs are followed from behind by fishermen who monitor the bobbing activity of the jugs and remove the fish and re-bait the line. The two men who caught the 74 pound fish said they were in a flat bottom boat and the only way they could get the fish into the boat without it turning over was for one of them to get into the water and hook his elbows over the side while the other one pulled the fish into the boat from the other side.

In years past before dams and locks the big Stripped bass would migrate from the sea up the Alabama River to their spawning grounds and anglers with deep sea fishing gear would line the banks in hopes of snagging a big one. The migration itself lasted only a short time and fishermen had to be ready to fish when it started. Many huge Strippers were pulled from the waters during this short period. A host of pictures document some of these catches with the big smiles on the faces of the anglers. The Stripper migration dwindled with the introduction of the dams along the river and was soon forgotten by most fishermen.

One of the rivers that make up the Alabama River is the Coosa River that begins in the northern part of Georgia and runs through Alabama past Wetumpka where it is joined by the Tallapoosa River approximately six miles above Montgomery. The back waters of the Coosa can be accessed at Wetumpka and provides excellent fishing for Crappie (White Fish) and Bass as well as big Yellow Cat. My fishing partner and I preferred using homemade flip poles for fishing these waters. A flip pole is something like a Fly Rod except it is made with a cane pole and has line eyelets fastened along its length and a fly reel at the end. Instead of casting the line you flip it in loops on top of the water until it reaches the spot you want. Flip pole fishing is a lot of fun and provides great excitement especially when you're trying to land that huge Yellow Cat.

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