The Catfish or Bullhead 



on. If it is a large fish let him run. Imme- 

 diately he stops it is time to work the cat 

 toward the surface. He is sure to be fast, 

 so that there need be no hurry in landing 

 him. When he is pulled ashore or in the 

 boat the greatest care should be taken in 

 handling him, as the horns on his fins make 

 nasty wounds. The hook will be far down 

 his throat, and the best way to extract it 

 is to have a sharp knife with which to slit 

 open his stomach to the gills; if the head 

 is severed the hook will be cut from the 

 snell and become useless for further fishing. 

 If the fish is a large one of three or four 

 pounds, the foot should be placed on the 

 middle of his back, holding tight on 

 the line, then placing the knife through the 

 gills cut the under side. In running streams 

 the catfish is more gamey and will often 

 make strong rushes, swimming behind a 

 large stone, and then crawl under, so that 

 some time will elapse before he can be 

 dislodged. 



It often happens that in fishing such 



15 



