I was amazed to find out the other night
that keg fishing has passed from common memory.
Maybe just the class of fish is gone.
Old Gene Arthur and I and some
of the Pattonsville boys would go to the Ohio river on the
weekends. Drink a keg and bring a second. The first keg
(empty one) is tied to well rope size of thumb, which is tied
to fish hook made in town of bidwell by the blacksmith.
Hook had gap size of mother's oats box.
On this hook put a dressed chicken and 2 beef livers.
Tie the rope to pick-up or tree, and
use first beer keg as bobber.
Fish this in low current backwaters.
When the keg went down drag fish up and have fish roast.
Mostly caught flat-heads of 4 to 6 feet.
You drink second keg waiting for first
to go down. A two to three-day event. The Arthurs and Gees
were experts at this. Old Gene had aluminum boat - even then.
Used it to drop bait away from shore. Needed deep slow water,
(not a delicate presentation.)
CA beer keg-strike-indicator separates the
men from the boys, not a 5x tippet act.
Old gene tried to be a sportsman once
and used a Penn Ocean 4/0-with 80 lb test line and was spooled.
And he quit fishing cats and took up bass.
These great fish are now gone. Been
gone for 45 years. Sad, but this was the way it was done.
A well rope, a fire, a keg of beer, a pickup, and a weekend.
~ "Old Rupe"
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