Catching Fish at Lake Martin

Many fishermen just love to catch fish no matter what kind. The bite, the pull on the line and most of all quality at the table keeps many fishermen on the water late into life. One of the most fished for species of fish that can be caught by both young and old alike is the catfish. Catfish along with bream are the two fish that most people teach their kids to fish for from the docks and banks of Lake Martin. Not many know how many different ways are used to catch catfish or how much of a money fish that catfish are to the working angler.

For years dating way back past my grandfathers time the catfish offered great table fare along with a way to make extra money. Catching catfish for sale has produced many dollars over the years for me and also for many others who have fished for them for over thirty years.

Commercial fishing which use to be a main income for many has about gone the way of time. There are very few true commercial fishermen left in the area of Lake Martin. Their tools of the trade have also about gone the way of time. Using wooden slat boxes and jump lines were the staple of commercial fishermen in this area for years. Now the boxes are not produce by many because of the time and cost to build. These boxes were made of white oak that was split and either nailed or staples together. They had to be soaked in the water for about ten days before they would catch catfish.  Baiting them with old cheese was a task for only those dedicated to the commercial end of fishing.

Jump lines which are versions of the trot line are still used by some but they also have about gone the way of time. Bait for these lines range from Ivory soap to meal worms to crickets and even cheese squares made using foam soaked in mixture of heated cheese. These lines have weights on them and differ from a regular trot line in the fact that they have to be dragged back up from the bottom.

For the fishermen that love to catch catfish but don’t want to go commercial they can buy a license to fish two wire baskets per family. These baskets are made from chicken wire and different baits are used from meal cakes to cheese to special mixtures to attract the fish. Fishing wire baskets is done more for table fare than for making money.
 
Next week we will look at rod and reel fishing for catfish. Till next week I’ve gone fishing.

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