The First Cats Of Spring Are The Finest Cats Of All!

During spring, the best catfishing often is during midday and on. A beautiful, bright, warm, calm spring day that slides gracefully into a warm evening signals good fishing. The more such days in a row along with a stable river level, the better. In those conditions, you may even get an evening bite. If there’s a nasty bite to the evening as the sun sets, however, the bite won’t last long.

As spring rambles on toward summer, fresh cut bait begins to outfish sours, although sours account for cats all season, especially during late summer, which is another story. Speaking of stories and bites, the ultimate humiliation for Gus was being bitten—by Toad. Reach across your chest and grab a tiny portion of skin—a pinch—just back of your arm pit. Tender territory.

Gus and Toad would be rough-housing. Eventually, Toad would pin Gus. Realizing his plight, Gus would lie perfectly still, desperately hoping that what he knew was going to happen wouldn’t.

“Grrrrrr,” Toad growled as he ducked down and nipped Gus in the tender skin behind his front leg. “Woo, wooo, woooo,” Gus moaned in a near falsetto. “Woo, wooo, woooo.”

Life is taxes and bills and plumbing problems. But it also can be a grown man with a mouthful of dog hair and a dog moaning pitifully for mercy. I do miss old Toad, and Gus, too. But the cats are still there waiting. n