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Time for a story. I worked for an old MS Perry Co County woodland Surveyor who once told me this old fish tale from Mississippi where I lived 23 yr (my kids all born & still there)

The true story is of an electric line construction crew who were were constructing a transmission line cross my local Leaf River near where I lived in Perry County MS.

One Lineman heard of our 130 lb monster catfish in our MS rivers. So one morning early before work he went down to the Leaf river and caught a 5 lb largemouth bass and hooked it to 12” logger gaffling hook for catfish bait.

He attached the baited 5 lb largemouth bass on the 12” gaffling hook attached to 50’ of 1/4” power line from his job.

He then attached the baited line to a 55 gallon steel drum for a bobber float, and threw the largemouth bated gaffling hook and cable and steel drum all into the Leaf River.

He then attached the bass baited hook and 55 gallon steel drum attached to 50’ steel power line and all anchored to a solid cypress stump on the river bank.

The Lineman had noticed that early morning the cows were not lying down in the neighboring pasture, but were up grazing about which meant the fish would be biting. All this to catch a 130 lb monster catfish while he was gone to work.

Later that evening after work the Lineman returned to the riverbank only to find the cypress stump had been completely uprooted pulled up by the stump and gone in the river along with the 50’ steel cable, 55 gallon steel drum attached to the logger 12” gaffling hook and 5 lb largemouth bass for bait. All gone to fight another day!

Perhaps the monster catfish still lives on today at 145 lbs with a smile bearing the scars of that gaffling hook. Cat fish grow giant in Mississippi!