A Fisher of Women?

As I child, I was a catfish queen. Not the kind with a sash and crown. Nope, I was a knock-kneed kid in pigtails with a reputation for hauling in the big catches from my Grandpa John’s muddy Oklahoma pond.

Notice I say “hauling in.” With my trusty cane pole and bob cork and a long, juicy worm my older brother and I had unearthed beside the barn earlier that morning hanging off the hook, I was a contender. I could out-catch the best of them.

My brother always credited my spot selection, but I know the magic was between the pole and me. Within minutes of the cork touching water, the fish sensed I was at the other end and they were only too anxious to greet me. By day’s end, I had retained bragging rights and the big prize – I was excused from having to carve up the day’s catch since even at age 8, I was a fan of “catch and release.” (It didn’t hurt, either, that I have allergies and couldn’t eat the day’s haul anyway.)

Now, trying to convince south Louisiana fishermen that you have the skills to haul in a prize catch if only you had a cane pole and a red and white cork takes some pretty fast talking. But my first trip out on an area charter trip found me at the end of a high-dollar reel fighting with an amberjack that felt the size of Moby Dick. Let’s agree my cane pole wouldn’t have survived the battle. Truth be told, neither did I.

What brought this to mind?

It’s fishing rodeo time in south Louisiana. Whether it’s the Krewe of Bayou Petit Caillou’s rodeo in Chauvin or the tarpon rodeos in Port Fourchon and Grand Isle, this is the time of year diehards live for.

Visitors by the hundreds will be in the Tri-parishes over the coming days to take in the sights, enjoy our restaurants, fish and slumber in our hotels to sleep off all that fun. It’s a great time, whether you’re a youngster with a cane pole and a big imagination or a pro, to discover what makes our waterways such a huge attraction.

Anyway, that’s my fish story and I’m sticking to it. I’m anxious to hear yours.