Running The Trot Line
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Fishing was a pastime sport that all my family did love so fine,
We preferred to catch fish with a rod and reel most of the time,
But occasionally my Dad liked to run a trot line for catfish at night,
So we headed to the lake, spending a night, to do the job right.
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Running The Trot Line
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When I was single living living at home just after my Army tour,
Trying to find a new apartment to live in Borger real clean for sure,
My Dad, Craig, and I sometimes headed for the lake to fish at night,
We camped out there on the bank to catch catfish with no light.
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You boys want to run a trot line tonight at the upper end of Lake Meredith?
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We caught crawdads in a small creek not far from our home,
To use for bait to catch channel catfish at night when they roam,
On two 100 feet long trot lines with hooks we kept rolled on a board.
With the hooks stuck in the wood to keep from tangling the cord.
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Well boys, I think we’ve seined out enough crawdads to bait the trot lines tonight.
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We left about 5 PM on a Saturday evening heading out to the lake.
Going out to the upper end of Lake Meredith near the flint Alibates,
To set up our camp there on the sandy ground next to the shore.
With sleeping bags, a Coleman stove, lanterns and much more.
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Those channel cat will be feeding soon. Let’s hit the sack and let that trot line work.
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The lake was still rising up into the trees that were growing there,
Making great anchors for the ends of our trot lines to tie anywhere.
The water was two to four feet deep, so we just waded no doubt,
And found very good areas to set the two long trot lines on out.
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We tied an end to a tree trunk and strung it out to another one.
With several Clorox jugs on the way to keep the hooks off bottom.
Then anchored the other end on another tree set the right depth,
And hooked a crawfish on each hook, then the trot lines were set.
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It will take a while to put a crawdad on all those hooks. You stick em Craig.
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Back at camp we cooked up some bacon and some pork & beans,
And then sat around and told stories drinking beer feeling so keen.
We set an alarm and got up at 2 AM, then fired up the lantern.
And waded out in the lake water, those two long trot lines to run.
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Ummm, I smell fresh crawdads, dinner time.
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The jugs were moving so we knew we had meat for the table.
We can see some channel catfish, finding ten hooked so stable.
Removing the fish, we find they all weighed three to four pounds.
Making us happy as it looks like a good trot line spot we found.
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We strung the catfish, baited the trot lines, and headed back,
To our camp to stake out the catfish stringer and hit the sack.
Daylight breaks about 6 AM, and we run both trot lines again.
Finding we caught eight more channel cat, making our trip a big win.
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Hold him still Craig and I’ll put him on the stringer.
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After rolling up the trot lines and loading our gear in the SUV,
We head on in stopping at Fritch for breakfast and good coffee.
Then on back to Phillips to clean the fish for the deep freezer.
Just Craig and I and our old Dad that we both called the Geezer.
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We gutted the catfish and incinerated all of the nasty entrails,
Then hung them up and skinned them just leaving on the tails.
We filleted them into fine boneless catfish steaks so very good,
To add to my Moms supply of groceries for their future food.
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Can’t wait to Southern fry a few of these Channel Catfish fillet steaks..
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Those times we spent together out there on that lake at night,
Were another one of those times that did just “Feel So Right.”
I think it brought us closer together working as a very good team,
Making more fine memories about which I often still do dream.
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading Running The Trot Line,
Bill