Catfish Saves the Day

Type:
Region: Central
Location: Patapsco River, Ft. Armistead Park

So far I've been having a frustrating fall season in freshwater. I haven't even caught one trout in several of the stocked waters, nor a single pickerel or bass from the reservoirs.

So, on Monday 10/26, I thought I would give the tidal Patapsco River a try at Ft. Armistead Park near its mouth with the Bay. I had two rods out, one with big hooks and cut bait, the other with small hooks and tiny pieces of nightcrawlers.

When I finally reeled in a 5 inch white perch, I was happy enough just to get the skunk off my back all these weeks. But, I kept my eye on the heavy rig, which unfortunately stood motionless all evening. Even the light rod action was minimal with some weak taps and only one landed spot, shorter than the perch. So imagine my surprise when the light rod suddenly went double over with this 23 inch catfish wrestling against a #4 hook and one inch of worm! Finally I caught my first fall game fish in a very unexpected way.