After I had dinner with mom and dad tonight, I tried (unsuccessfully) to get dad to come to the house and fish the creek for a while. He was tired, so I came home, put on some jeans, and went solo.

Last Sunday, I went back there, and only caught a few small bluegill. But I did pull one thing out that was about 90 pounds! Sadly it was a push-mower that someone felt needed to be in our creek (still had the engine). I fished it out with some rope and a hook, and pulled it up to the house. It will be going to the Xenia scrapyard tomorrow!

Anyhow, it was already 9:00 by the time I got home, so I didn’t have much daylight left. I got one tiny bluegil that came off the hook before I got it in, then another that I hooked. Finally I got something larger playing with the line, a jerk on the line, and a jerk on the pole…and it felt like a snag. Doh! But wait, it is not snag! It’s….it’s…a catfish!!?! As long as I’ve fished, I’ve caught so few I still don’t know where the dangerous barbs are (on the fins, right?). I called to ask dad how to take it off, feeling stupid, but I didn’t want to do the step-on-and-unhook method, I wanted to do it so the fish was safe.

Dad was busy so I just pulled it out while it sat on the mud ‘barking’ at me. Yes, catfish make a funny ‘bark’ when they are out of water. He was safe, and so was I. Long story for a medium sized fish.