Yesterday a friend and I were going to go to any local stream that had not been blown out by the previous nights rainshowers. Our search found none. So we decided to visit his uncles pond and see what was there. Well, let me tell you, we found catfish, large sunnies and bass. The catsfish were not bullheads but the long sleek kind and many were in the 20 - 24 inch range. At times these cats were taking some flies on the surface, but more often below, and when the sun was highest, near the bottom. These big cats would run and then fight on the bottom. They also had a tendency to swim around cat tails and dock pillars which made some fights more interesting than others. Suffice to say that large cats on 4 weight rods, small flies and light leaders/tippets are fun. Catch several of these fish and you might well need some BenGay or other medication for the sore shoulder you're bound to have. I opted for 'flexeril''.

Now this is not something you'd want to make into a steady diet but, if every so often when your nearby waters make trout unavailable, you may want to consider fly fishing a nearby pond for cats as an alternative and think twice before saying 'no' or 'yuck'.

Allan