- I r I ;; LS ~ te Is t­ l­ e­ te eh Volume 11 APRIL, 1952 Number 4 1e a 'W ad Je CHANNEL CATFISHING IN HIGH WATER le :v- ---------. * * * * • • • • * * * By Barry l\1. Harrison l CATFISH BAIT AND F l-.h<- rle!i Biologist m ut SUCH STUFF The one thing that chills the be average catfisherman's enthusiasm for spring fishing is high, muddy Marquette, Iowa 30 water. This condition can be doubly April 1, 1952 ~ annoying after a long winter of Jy Editor, IOWA CONSERVATIONIST, fishing anticipation if it occurs on sb weekends ·· the only time t h a t Dear Jim: :nany of us have the opportunity of I was glad to get your letter of to be at our favorite catfish hole. 00 March 22 and I am sending you the We say that if high and muddy le· catfish bait recipes for use in the waters are causing you to give up in CONSERVATIONIST. that long planned fishing trip, ay I n any of the following recipes "don't let it do it." We know from be that call for cheese, cheese rinds or our fisheries studies over the past od trimmings may be used, running six years that catfish feed during is them through a food chopper. Then high water and that in the spring ~d pour boiling water over the cheese they often take food in larger quan­ until it is soggy, then add flour and tities than at other times of the ~e. ground rolled oats (the quick year. or kind). Knead it until it is mixed We have caught lots of catfish nd and tough and rubbery. Of the on pole and line with the river bank ,er cheese rinds, Swiss makes the best full and with so much silt that it il· bait. For variations of the standard could almost be plowed. The tech­ DY cheese, catfish bait, fish liver paste, niques used to get 'em is only a )!· ground up rough fish or sour clam little dtfferent than those common­ at meats may be added. ly used during lower and clearer 10• In any of the recipes calling for water stages. If you will try to rolled oats, better results will be catch your catfish according to the at obtained if these are run through methods that follow, we feel that tg. a food chopper and g round fine. your efforts will be rewarded, and tr· They help make your bait tough you may find that catfish can be and rubbery. taken easier during high water If any of your readers want to than at any other time. get addresses where t hey can se­ The first and one of the most im­ cure cheese trimmings or other bait portant things to think about when going after catfish in the spring Jl• ingredients, if they will drop me a lin e and enclose a stamped return and during high water is that of the es. Jim sherman Photo. correct bait to use. The natural ed envelope I will reply promptly. Catfishing can be very good during high, muddy wate r pe riods. The proble m for the a ngler foods of the catfish at this time of is to find the locat ion In the stream whe re catfish are fe eding. rY Channel cats are t he fastest. year are primarily those that are nd gamest, sporttest, and cussedest of washedintothestreamorgetthere ss. the catfish tribe Ask any catfish SPRINGBROOK GEOLOGIC STORY from bank cave-ins, and the like. .nt crank-he knows. Here are a few These include a wide variety of :er pointers: In dayttme look for spots By Charles S. Gwy nne County. It is mostly east of the worms, grubs, bugs, carion and so where there is plenty of cover for -\. <,s o c inte Pro f essor, D e tl nrtme nt of river, and is a hilly, wooded coun- forth. Such food items possess cats. Fish around submerged logs, Geology I o w n S tate Colle:..:e try Springbrook flows through the odors that the catfish are able to drift piles, t ree roots, cut banks or park into a lake made by the dam- detect, and since the water is dark­ over-hangs, or the deepest part of As far as its geological story ming up of the stream. ened with its silt load, our bewhisk- deep holes. goes, Springbrook State Park is A walk on the trail around the ered friend, to find sustenance, will I use t he clincher type smker to unique in at least two respects. lake gives us some clues as to the have to rely upon his sense of smell keep the bait well down toward the It lies in an area underlain by geological history of the region. rather than sight. From this you bottom, but not so much lead but sandy deposits of the last sea to First to attract our attention is will gather tha t the bait you choose what you can keep off snags if you invade Iowa. Also, it is on the the shelter house by the lake. This should give off some odor. Now it a re drifting it down current. When edge of the deposits made by the is found to be made of many differ- doesn't have to stink so bad that fishing at night for channel cat, use last glacier. ent kinds of rock. These alone are you have to fish up wind from your little or no sink er, floating or cast­ The park includes an area of worth a lot of study. They are all bait can It only has to smell a wee ing your bait downstream. Best about a square mile on the Middle glactal erratics, or simply erratics,l httle bit on the other side of un- {Continued on page 30) Raccoon River in northern Guthrie (Continued on page 32) (Continued on page 29) Page 26 I O WA CO NSERVATIONIST - Iowa and happy-go-lucky air that sug­ Conservationist gests lba.t it bad never a care nor Published Monthly By Tho duty in the whole year 'round." IOWA CONSERVATION COMMlSSION East 7th and Court-Des Momes, Iowa The eastern goldfinch was de­ clared the official state bird of Iowa N High .s R •s• rved) on March 22 1933, by the Forty­ WM S. BEARDSLEY, Governor of Iowa fifth General Assembly. L egisla­ BRUCE F STILES. Director JAMES R. HARLAN, Editor tot·s acted on a suggestion of the WILMA BOSWELL. Associate Editor Iowa Ornithologists' Union. I n all fan·ness it should be mentioned MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION that the goldfinch \\as not a unam­ i E G. TR• >ST Cl a.rman. F t Dodge •0 J. D. REYNOLDS, Vice Chatrman.. - .. Creston mous choice of the ornithologists. • C. A. DINGES .... -.-........ ·-· ........ Emmetsburg The dickcissel, bright songster of ' W. F. FRUDEGER ......_ ................... Burlington •= FLOYD S. PEARSON ............................ Decorah roadside and meadows. was a MRS. EMMET F. RYAN ................ Underwood strong contender for the honor. JOE STANTON ................................ Des Moines In spring and summer the male cmCULATION THIS ISSUE 46.000 goldfinch is a study in gorgeous Subs - 01 r ra 40 P •r yea· contrast, with b1 ight yellow body, yeaTS Sl.OO black wings. black head crown, and 3 T( Entered ,.....,nd cla , ter at the I bl~ck tail. His mate is l~ss gaudy, post office at -v~ Momes, iowu, September olive-yellow where he lS yellow 22, 1947, 24. 1912 J under the Act of March 1 dusky where he is black and lacks Subscdptlons received at Conservation th bl k h d , ' Lal Commission, East Seventh and Court, Des e ac ea crown Jim Sn<"rtrt'ln l ~c·t-, Moines, Iowa. Send cash, check or money s~ More than 16,000,000 fishe rm en were licensed In th ~ Unit ed States In 1951 . Iowa's share 1\il order. In Iowa All Year was more than 400,000. Goldfinches live in I owa all year, 0 t IOWA'S although winter thins their num­ THIRTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN FISHING LICENSES ~ bers and their dull winter plumage e:, bag OFFICIAL BIRD makes recognition more difficult. From the United States Depart­ state for this same period was Winter males lose their bnght coat ment of Interior comes some very $664,883 which. on our adding ma­ E B y George W. Worley and assume the more somber fe­ interesting information from time chine, brings the total license rev­ for uperintc n tlcnt of Public R elations male plumage. to time ... refreRhi ng in the sense enue up to $1 338,010. Great day that It ts not of dry statistical na­ The rolhckmg good nature of our The b o u n c I n g. roller-coaster m the morning' You had better ture, but does make sense to a lot ~ state bird makes it a favorite of flight of the goldfinch is nearly as join the Izaak Walton League or barefoot boy, casual observer, and useful in identification as the plum­ of people. For instance, this past the Marshall County Wildlife Club train ed ornithologist. William Cox age. The males offer rhythmic ac­ week \Ve received such a bulletin or, if you live outside of Marshall me writes: "If I could be a bird during companiment to each downward giving the figures on the sale of county, the nearest club to your IS a month of summer, I should want swing with a twittering "ker-chee­ fishing licenses in the United States home to help swing weight m see­ so to be a goldfinch.