Catching lots of hungry catfish, with good friends aboard, makes for a great day on the water.
“We’ll spend the night at Jeff and Courtney Blankinship’s Broken Stone Ranch near Grand Saline,” my old friend said over the phone. “Then we’ll get up early the next morning and drive a short distance to Lake Fork to fish for eating-sized channel cat. We’ll fish with Seth Vanover, his son Evan and possibly Stubby Stubblefield who produces the finest catfish bait in the country. While we’re at the Broken Stone we may try to shoot a hundred-pound eating hog, so, you might want to bring one of your Ruger No. 1s. Or we may just kick back and not do a whole lot of anything that afternoon. It’ll be your call!”
For the past several minutes I had been listening to my long-time friend, Luke Clayton, with whom I do a regular Saturday morning outdoor radio show, extoll the benefits of my driving about four hours north of where I live to get away for a couple of days. He had me hooked before he even had gotten started on the proposed two-day schedule of events.
I had recently returned from the Save Conservancy in Zimbabwe where I had been a judge for the Ultimate Extreme Huntress Competition. Since that return, I had been busy with work that involved very little sleep or rest. The thought of spending a night away where there would be no cell service or internet connections had me hook, line and sinker!
Before my friend could quit trying to convince me I interrupted. “I’ll be at your house no later than 8:00 am Monday.”
The author and Seth Vanover with a near-5-pound channel cat.
After visiting with Luke and recording a segment for our Campfire Talk, I headed to my property I call “The Buck Scrape” to make certain my .405 Win. Ruger No. 1 topped with a Trijcion Accupoint scope was still sighted in with Hornady’s 300-grain Soft Points. It was.
Three mornings later I pulled in to Luke’s front yard. After a quick “Howdy” we loaded Luke’s gear into my pickup and headed toward Grand Saline and the Broken Stone Ranch. It only took an hour to get there.
Moments after getting to the Broken Stone we were comfortably settled into comfortable guest rooms, and enjoying tall, cold refreshing glasses of sweet tea. Doing nothing in particular felt really good, so rather than hunt hogs Luke and I spent the afternoon and early evening exchanging hunting and fishing tales, taking a drive through the ranch’s tall trees and just relaxing. Hog hunting would have to wait for another day. After dark we satiated hunger with some of the finest ribeye steaks imaginable. Much of the rest of the night was spent around the communal campfire, watching an impressive meteor shower.
It was still dark when Luke and I pulled out of the Broken Stone and headed to Lake Fork, long recognized as one of the finest fishing lakes in North America, including a reputation for huge black bass and an abundance of eatin’ sized channel catfish, as well as white crappie. I had fished Lake Fork in the past and brought home legal limits of channel cat and crappie fillets.
We met Seth and his son, Evan, as well as Stubby who developed Stubby Cheese (Catfish) Bait. Luke had fished with all three many times. On the way to the lake, Luke clued me in on Seth’s great knowledge of fishing for catfish and crappie, as well as Stubby’s fabulous catfish bait we would be using. “You’ll notice it does not have a horrible odor, actually it’s kinda tantalizing…” commented my old friend. I learned he was right, and, that catfish loved it!
After quick introductions and a bit of “chiding” we loaded into Seth’s boat and headed to the first of Seth and Stubby’s secret catfishing spots.
We lowered bait to the bottom, then cranked up two rounds. Immediately Evan had a fish on. He reeled in a chubby, better than two-pound channel cat. While Seth was netting it, Stubby’s rod bent double, and then almost immediately so did Luke’s.
I felt a tug but failed to hook the catfish. I reeled in quickly and baited up with a new “plug” of Stubby’s Cheese Bait. As I did so, I watched Stubby, Luke and Seth land catfish ranging from 2 to about 3 1/2 pounds.
My bait never reached bottom. Fish on. It fought hard. No doubt the channel catfish of Lake Fork were healthy. A minute later I swung a 3-pounder into the boat.
As I again dropped a baited hook over the side, I notice Luke and Seth had fish on. We started filling the “cool box” with channel cats. Most were from 2 to about 3 1/2 pounds. But not all! I heard Evan’s drag groan. “Big one!” proclaimed Luke. He too stopped fishing to watch Evan expertly fight whatever he had on. A few moments later Seth slid a net under his son’s six-pound channel cat! Evan proclaimed he had caught the biggest fish. Stubby gave the 11-year old a hard time, but his comments did not in any way affect the successful title holder.
“The cooler is about half full and we’re a long way from our overall limit. Let’s head toward the dam and another of our spots. Should be able to finish up there,” suggested Seth who operates Lake Fork Cat and Crappie. I glanced at Luke. He was smiling widely and nodded approvingly.
I sidled next to Luke, “You certainly were right about Seth and Stubby’s catfish bait as well,” said I. “Talk about fun! We’ve scarcely had time to visit since we got on the boat, either one or both of us have had fish on almost continually!” Luke beamed.
A short boat ride later we dropped baited hooks over the side. Immediately Luke and Seth had fish on, and the rest of us were tending nibbles. The action did not slow. Seemed one of the five of us always had a fish on, and often more than one. We landed two more that approached 5 pounds or better. We released those less than 2 pounds.
“We’re close to our limit. The cooler is nearly full. One more fish and we’ll head to a crappie spot if you…” Before Seth could complete his sentence, I said, “Yes Sir!” as I set the hook on a 4-pounder. Crappie would have to wait, at least until I landed my final channel catfish for the day.
