Re: The next wave in sportfishing?

[WPCTWBUG]

Growing up in northern Missouri I handfished numerous times as a kid. It was technically illegal, but widely practiced. Game wardens were unheard of in our area. We dived along steep banks where catfish, mostly channel cats, had dug holes to hide in. If you were gentle you could ease your hand up around the fish until you could grab it behind the gills. Lots of other fish species used the holes the catfish dug also. Handfishing was fun, but we were never very good at it and I caught a lot more with regular fishing gear. Some adults were very successful at catching the larger fish and probably had some impact on mature fish. Initially we feared what we might encounter in these holes, but we discovered that snapping turtles, muskrats, and water moccasins did not live there. Terry Whitworth