A mess o' fish

-Not in Texas-

When I see fishing adventures on television or in magazines, the scene is serene and organized. There's usually a nice fisherman wearing waders, tossing a line in the air, or a bass boat full of lures and coolers. Texas back-country fishing is a very different activity from either of those.

The first boy I went fishing with was very emphatic about the rules of fishing. When we got to the fishing spot, there was to be no talking, and one must crawl to the edge of the creek, lest a fish should spot a shadow. Hooks were to be gently lowered into the water, in the case of catfishing.

Getting to the fishing hole is a very big adventure. Usually some ledges and lots of face-slapping trees or brush is involved. One foray led us across outcroppings from a sheer, dripping wall with a creek below where snakes would periodically swim out.

And there must be a legend. The catfish that no one can catch is a good one. Every shadow in the water will inspire the imagination to believe a fish of giant proportion has been seen, adding another inch to the fable.

The grand prize is a large, inedible fish that could rival the Loch Ness monster. If not that, then a big mess o' crawdads.

By the by, one trap full of dead crawdads taught us that they have to come to the water's surface to breathe. Live and learn, right?