126 FISHING IN THE OHIO. 



in the middle current of the river, so that the people on board could not 

 observe the fish that had been hooked. Not a single steamer had as yet 

 ever gone down the Ohio ; now and then, it is true, a barge or a keel- 

 boat was propelled by poles and oars ; but the nature of" the river is such 

 at that place, that these boats when ascending were obliged to keep near 

 the Indiana shore, until above the landing of the village, (below which 

 I always fixed my lines), when they pulled across the stream. 



Several species or varieties of Cat-fish are found in the Ohio, namely 

 the Blue, the White, and the Mud Cats, which differ considerably in 

 their form and colour, as well as in their habits. The Mud Cat is the 

 best, although it seldom attains so great a size as the rest. The Blue 

 Cat is the coarsest, but when not exceeding from four to six pounds, it 

 affords tolerable eating. The White Cat is preferable to the last, but 

 not so common ; and the Yellow Mud Cat is the best and rarest. Of the 

 blue kind some have been caught that weighed a hundred pounds. Such 

 fishes, however, are looked upon as monsters. 



The form in all the varieties inclines to the conical, the head being 

 disproportionately large, while the body tapers away to the root of the 

 tail. The eyes, which are small, are placed far apart, and situated as it 

 were on the top of the forehead, but laterally. Their mouth is wide, and 

 armed with numerous small and very sharp teeth, while it is defended by 

 single-sided spines, which, when the fish is in the agonies of death, stand 

 out at right angles, and are so firmly fixed as sometimes to break before 

 you can loosen them. The Cat-fish has also feelers of proportionate 

 length, apparently intended to guide its motions over the bottom, whilst 

 its eyes are watching the objects passing above. 



Trot-Unes cannot be used with much success unless during the mid- 

 dle stages of the water. When very low, it is too clear, and the fish, al- 

 though extremely voracious, will rarely risk its life for a toad. When 

 the waters are rising rapidly, your trot-lines are likely to be carried away 

 by one of the numerous trees that float in the stream. A " happy me- 

 dium"" is therefore best. 



When the waters are rising fast and have become muddy, a single 

 line is used for catching Cat-fish. It is fastened to the elastic branch of 

 some willow several feet above the water, and must be twenty or thirty 

 feet in length. The entrails of a Wild Turkey, or a piece of fresh veni- 

 son, furnish good bait; and if, when you visit your line the next morning 



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