Laying here and thinking what I’d like to be doing this morning, I come up with the idea that being anchored in a boat in the run near the outlet from the lake with a fishing line dangling over the gunnel would be terrific. What would I catch besides bug bites?

Near the surface probably would be some sunfish which anybody can catch if the hook is small enough. Just maybe something better like a perch, yellow or white. With my bait on the muddy bottom, I surely will catch an eel or a bullhead horned pout.

I hate to catch an eel as in a second it can tangle a big hunk of my fish line.

The bullhead horned pout runs about twenty inches in length and has a big mouth for cleaning the bottom. His mouth is surrounded by whiskers and no scales.

Raised on fish farms down south and raised on corn meal and grits and fried to perfection, it’s a great meal, but this time of year it scoops up worms that are bad for humans.

Worms from saltwater fish can’t be hosted by humans so it is safe to eat most saltwater fish that aren’t cooked. Worms and other things that can be hosted by freshwater fish, our bodies can host also.

The whiskerlike feelers, or barbels, around the mouth gave the catfish its name. Having no scales, they also have some body protection; in that some of their fins are armed with sharp spines that can give the unwary some very painful injuries. They average a little over ten inches in length, but have been known to grow much bigger. One caught recently was over five feet and weighed in at over 150 pounds.

On a trip down south, a great meal is of fried catfish and grits.

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