That Other Way to Fish

Well one thing I try to do ever year is pull out the red can of Hills Brothers out and plunk some worms for some bottom feeders. I like to call it getting back to my Midwest roots. I spend many a summer day when I was young fishing with my father or grandmother for whatever would grab onto a hook. I have many found memories of catching fish with both of them everywhere from Kansas farm ponds to bass lakes in the Ozarks.

This year with my Cornhusker father spending the summer in Washington, I was finally able to go in search of catfish. The only difference is this time we were able to take my daughter. My daughter is only five years old and as you know getting kids into fishing is not always an easy task, especially girls. But Lil is one of those kids that is in love with animals and we have talked about different kinds of fish through the years and she has always wanted to see a catfish. So this was an easy mission.

West-side catfish are not the easiest species to find and large ones even more so, but going to one of my college stomping grounds in more ways then one, I took them to Sauvie Island, just North of Portland. This island is blessed with warm water species, though nothing of size. Anadramous fish however you can find salmon, steelhead and sturgeon on both the Multnomah Channel and Columbia River sides.

Still not a far drive from my home Southwest, Washington this was an easy answer to find my daughter a few fish to catch. And catch some she did.















Lil with her first channel catfish, not huge, but rare in my experience on the island.





















My bleeding red father showing Lil what a bullhead catfish looks like. We caught tons of them, but they never get that big. It got me thinking about pulling the six weight out with some nymphs and streamers. Maybe next year I guess. Catching a catfish on the fly is actually something I always wanted to do and have lots of friends that have done it by accident.















Average size bullhead that day.
















Yellow Perch, the wannabe walleye.