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Replies: 21
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110%er [5480]
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Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 10:34 AM
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Spud your recent mudfish post brought back some of my childhood memories of fishing with Daddy.
Episode 1. This particular trip I did not go with Daddy. The women and children were to join the men for dinner. They put in at Public Landing on the Combahee, it was a terrible day for fishing. The three boats had about four or five Redbreast between them. It was well past eating time and Momma was fuming at the landing with the other women and us young'uns. Daddy and his partner pulled up to a particular hole that had been known in the past to produce some nice catfish. They had fished a few minutes and something hit Daddy's rod and he set the hook. He could tell it was huge. He managed to get it off the bottom and wear it down enough to begin bringing it to the boat. When it finally broke the surface Daddy hollered for the dip net. They forgot and left the dip net in the car. The fish was a tremendous mudfish, he made several runs when he saw the boat and finally Daddy brought him by the boat. No dip net no problem, Daddy took his pliers and grabbed him in the bottom jaw and landed him. They headed to the hill! When they got to the landing everybody was waiting. Well Daddy came out of the boat with that huge mud and said we can eat now. Momma had packed two frying chickens just in case. The two chickens, a few perch and Ole Mister Mud, Red Horse Bread and a few other trimmings fed twelve adults and about nine young'uns on that Saturday.
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Heisman Winner [111391]
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we called them Bowfin up north.
Apr 25, 2021, 11:02 AM
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They truly are bad-tempered fish. They are closely related to the asian snakehead which are running crazy in the freshwater canals down here. Exciting sport fish, until it is time to land them and remove the hook.
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Oculus Spirit [78830]
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Would choose the snakehead any day . . .
Apr 25, 2021, 11:31 AM
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over that foul smelling, mushy mud fish . . . but they were always fun to catch
Once had one hit a Bang-o-lure so hard while wading the Russellville Flats that he bent the top water stick bait into a crescent . . . he was a beast!!! Of course, I set him free to terrorize the shallows again . . . but the lure was thrown away.
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Heisman Winner [111391]
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Have not caught any snake heads
Apr 25, 2021, 11:49 AM
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I caught a few mudfish up in NJ, I had a Bowfin skip across the water like a marlin once. Those suckers will make your heart jump out of your chest when they hit your line,.. We used to catch them with hotdogs and catfish bait, but they will hit an in-line spinner or a crankbait with authority. I just hated handling them, slimy and have a tendency to clamp down on your thumb and not give it back.
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All-TigerNet [10904]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 11:07 AM
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Is that the fish you cook on a cedar plank with lemon slices and other spices...then throw away the fish and eat the plank?
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All-In [27289]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 11:32 AM
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Good recipe...I’ll have to try that. For me you grab an old boot and boil the fish in it. Then throw the fish away and eat the boot.
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CU Guru [1123]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 11:50 AM
[ in reply to Re: Fishing Memories ] |
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They actually are not bad in the winter months when the flesh is not mushy, we used to net them in Dec and Jan and have community fish frys
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All-In [25888]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 12:41 PM
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My father-in-law told me the secret to keeping them from being so mushy. Keep them alive until you are ready to eat. Then clean them and immediately and fry them. I tried it and he is correct. It is edible that way but don't get me wrong, I would rather have another fish than that.
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Heisman Winner [111391]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 1:29 PM
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put them in a nice clean aquarium for about a week, otherwise, they taste like the water you caught them in, Hence the name mud fish. Honestly, there is just no point in eating them unless you really have to.
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CU Guru [1123]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 2:13 PM
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Actually the bowfin is called mudfish because of it's ability to burrow into the mud and survive when drought causes lakes to dry up
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Heisman Winner [111391]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 3:54 PM
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much better explanation, probably why they taste like mudd.
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Legend [15862]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 2:38 PM
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Great story! My Dad and I fished together many times at Merrill’s Inlet and in the inter coastal water ways. We named our boat the Laurel and Hardy because of the all of dumb things we did while fishing and just out in the boat. Some of our exploits include the day my Dad was sitting up front in the seat. I could not see directly in front of us since my Dad was sitting up front. This made my Dad the look out. He started pointing to the right. I assumed he wanted me to go that way. About 3 or 4 minutes later we hit something with the front of the boat. Then the motor came up out of the water. I like what the hick happened. I looked back to see that we had hit a wooden pallet. I ask my Dad why he pointed to go in that direction. His response was I was trying to show you that pallet. I said you bonehead why did you not tell me to slow down or let me know what was there. Why did you not tell me to stop the boat. His reply was I thought you saw what I was pointing at. This was one of quite a few crazy things incidents with our boat. After about 10 mins and we realized the boat was OK we laughed it off and headed to one of our fishing spots.
I had to teach my Dad how to cast a bait-caster reel. While I was teaching him he accidentally threw 2 of my $250 rod / reel combos in to the inlet. By some miracle we recovered both of them.
We had some crazy times, some dangerous times, and some really great times. My Dad caught a 5 lb flounder and we finally learned how to fish the inlet so when we went out we usually ended up with several nice fish.
I would not trade any of those times even if my Dad had thrown all my Rod/Reel combos in Merrill’s Inlet. The memories we created will last a lifetime.
Long live the greatest memories on the Laurel & Hardy with my hero. My Dad!
Thank you for letting me share my stories and I really enjoy read all of the stories posted.
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All-TigerNet [12563]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 3:43 PM
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Good story, lots of laughs I'm sure you shared with your dad. I have a lot of great memories fishing with my dad too. He's a very good fisherman, but sometimes acts too quickly.I remember him "helping" me land a huge rainbow trout when I was maybe 13-14. He grabbed my leader which was very light, the fish went the other way and game over. It was a quiet ride home.
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CU Guru [1123]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 4:31 PM
[ in reply to Re: Fishing Memories ] |
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Murrells inlet, one of my fav places
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All-TigerNet [12563]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 3:50 PM
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They are awesome fighting fish. I think they put on a much stronger fight than a bass. I've been disappointed over the years to think I had a big bass initially only to see that white belly and elongated body and know I had a mudfish.
I think the all tackle world record bowfin is still from Forest Lake outside of Florence,SC.---21 lbs 8oz.
I've never tasted one, but from everything I've heard, I haven't missed anything.
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All-In [38460]
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Re: Fishing Memories
Apr 25, 2021, 10:28 PM
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I grew up near Wateree as a son of a guy who fished for food in his youth. He knew how to catch fish.
Fishing was a family event when I was a kid. Mom would pack food. It was a great day.
I still fish.
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CU Medallion [53716]
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The good ole days....Lunch was a huge part of fishing trips
Apr 26, 2021, 10:41 AM
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when I was a kid too. Well, breakfast also. We would meet at my aunts and she would have eggs, grits,sausage or country ham, AND BISCUITS. At lunch we would meet up and tie up together, have a blessing , and enjoy fried chicken,pimento cheese sandwiches,pork and beans, chips, AND A PEPSI. Never a Coke.
I don't stop to eat now, just eat a sandwich while running to another spot, but, I may need to reinstitute that tradition.
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Oculus Spirit [78830]
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Fishing and Food Memories . . .
Apr 26, 2021, 9:40 PM
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Growing up wading the Russellville Flats was what several families in Sumter use to do together. One gentleman, Daddy called “Double L” because he spelled his last name Willson, bought an old tenant house on an acre of land just outside of Russellville proper.
We’d drive across the levee, meandering through the long leaf pines coming to rest with the lake at our feet. We’d all head in differing directions keeping in touch with each other by soft gentle hoops indicating we had put another fish on the stringer. Fishing was more for food back then and we obeyed the limits set . . . but we always ate our catch and limited out regularly.
At the agreed upon hour, we’d rendezvous at the “Russellville Hilton” . . . Double L’s tenant shack. I cleaned the fish (started filleting at the age of 9 . . . the same year I started wading), Daddy cooked the grits, Harold Boozer would always find the best fresh tomatoes and dessert was “light bread w/ cane patch syrup” . . . BTW - the fish were cut into bite size nuggets, soaked in buttermilk for 20 minutes, floured with SR Flour only, salt and pepper applied to one’s own taste after deep frying to a crispy rich brown color.
When I cooked it for my new bride some 35 years ago, she was shocked to see sliced tomatoes and grits . . . Her favorite to this very day!
I had never heard of coleslaw and french fries with fish until I moved away from home.
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CU Medallion [53716]
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Back in the early 70's my uncle kept telling me he was going
Apr 26, 2021, 10:20 PM
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to take me to wade the Russellville flats and throw Bangolures and Devil's Horses for largemouth. We never got together on it...I was in my early teens. But, I wouldn't wade any part of Santee now. Not unless I got tossed from the boat and was forced to.....
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Oculus Spirit [78830]
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The gators were there back then . . .
Apr 27, 2021, 5:37 AM
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You’d see some every trip. Rather unnerving to a kid waist deep in water with a chum line on his stringer!!!
Thankfully, no one was ever bother by them.
Those 2 baits were a staple in our pouch . . . along with a Johnson Silver Spoon, a jar of pork rind and a “weedless witch”. A worm that resembled a notched piece of fan belt with 2 weedless hooks in it. That was all the baits you needed.
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CU Medallion [53716]
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I use to ocassionally go jigger poling at night down there.
Apr 27, 2021, 9:24 AM
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We had a homeade rig that was nothing but three hooks tied about 5 inches apart in a way that the hooks all pointed in a different direction and each one had a skirt on it. The last hook had a piece of fatback on it. We put that rig on about an 18 to 20 foot cane pole with braid running from the butt to the tip and we left about 1 foot of line off the end to tie on the bait. We would go out well after dark in a sneak boat and plop the tip lightly on the water until a monster exploded on it. We almost always caught big ones. I haven't done that in a LONG time!!
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Oculus Spirit [78830]
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Don’t think my heart could stand running a jigger!
Apr 27, 2021, 9:00 PM
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The explosions are so violent and right at you . . . in the darkness!!!
Or maybe I should be running one?!!! It would definitely get my heart to pumping!!!
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