A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part IWritten by Jeff Williams
IntroductionMany of people about to take one of my guided trips don’t believe that Catfish feed as aggressively as other game fish. People are used to throwing out their bait and letting it set while they wait. Some days this works and they don’t have to wait very long, but some days we all know that wait can be very long. This waiting is what encouraged me to try to catch Blue Cats using other methods. Some techniques are passed down from generation to generation and these tried and true methods have caught Catfish since people have fished for them. I have used these methods most of my life and it was way I was taught to catch Catfish. On opposite end of Cat-fishing spectrum, however, are two newer methods that I have been using to consistently catch Catfish, as well. Fishing for Catfish Ah, American Catfish! The big three: Blues, Channel Cats and Flatheads; aren’t they a wonderful species of fish? Each one has its own outstanding features to thrill Catfishermen and women throughout United States and even worldwide. Flatheads, with their big, wide heads and flat tails, have my vote as hardest pulling fish pound-for-pound in fresh water. No Catfisherman can talk very long without telling their favorite Channel Cat story. Channel Cats live almost anywhere in fresh water and eat an enormous variety of baits, from prepared stink baits to live baits. I believe these whisker fish are most versatile and adaptive members of Catfish family. The next Catfish member, Blue Cat, also commonly called a White Cat, gets my pick for best all around, year-round Catfish. This is also fish I target with my non-typical Cat-fishing techniques. Although Channel Cats and Flatheads are caught using these techniques, Blue Cats remain king in mass numbers. These dudes grow big and fast and will strike your bait with a vengeance. Plus, they pull hard in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.
| | A Comedy of Comic Book Industry ErrorsWritten by Dave Gieber
Although lacking in popularity for years, mid-50s through early 60s brought back a resurgence of superheroes. This in itself was not bad, especially since I like superheroes. But as publishers wanted to cash in on this rebirth, all other genres within comic book industry started to fade. The romance comics, westerns, hard-boiled detectives, war comics and science fiction comics all started to pass by wayside. The superhero was being driven by market forces, which became to exist in US comic book industry. Suppliers and consumers alike developed an obsessive preoccupation with superheroes, which ultimately became a detriment to medium as a whole. By catering too much to limited market of superhero lovers, a much broader audience became neglected. One analogy presented in past was that superheroes are like really good desert. We all like desert, but who can eat it all time? Another concern with this market saturation was aesthetic merits under weight of superhero longevity itself. This was not necessarily fault of genre itself, but of market upholding its lone cash cow. The very nature of art of storytelling within superhero arena, was greatly affected. We all have learned from time we were young, fundamental elements of storytelling. There is beginning, a middle and an end. The telling of superheroes defies these fundamentals. There is a beginning, a continuous middle and NO end. The most obvious (and arguably most drama killing) story telling convention is that a leading superhero character can not die, at least, not for long. Where is sense of suspense in knowing peril of superhero against super villain, will not last for long. Knowing that to sustain market popularity, hero must return issue after issue. While thrilling, it becomes and unconscious exercise in waiting to see how our hero survives. This does not command drama as that of a character whose outcome you are uncertain of for any given issue. This leaves no ending to an otherwise great story line, and thus a paradox. How could our superhero characters continue, as we would have them, if they were truly to die? Cognitive psychology has demonstrated that memory retention is stronger with beginnings and endings. We wonder then, how can a story be memorable if there is no ending? It can be theorized, that to keep comic books good, and this includes super heroes, they have to ultimately come to an end. It has been quoted before that all good things must come to an end. Would this help to keep comic book industry on a more successful track? This can now only be to speculation of each of us as individuals. Think about what your opinion is.
|
