Hightech Redneck

Hightech Redneck Fishin'
Here in Mississippi people "hand grab" for catfish.

It is actually illegal to deliberately sink an object in a public water source but IF you happen to know where a dozen or so old water heaters or barrels are mysteriously submerged then you have the prime spawning grounds for catfish.

To keep track of these good fishing areas, some fishermen are now carrying hand-held GPS (global positioning system) units to mark their positions.

During the months of May and June, groups of fishermen, wearing long sleeved shirts and gloves as to not get injured, dive down and reach there hands into these little, underwater, caverns in hopes to bump into a large, hungry catfish.

If the fish is facing away from the opening of its summer home, the fisher will usually poke it with a metal rod he carries with him to make the fish turn around. Then, using his hand as bait the fisher will reach back into the dark cave and let the fish try to gulp down his whole hand. Once the fish latches on, the fisher will grab it with both hands and wrestle it out of the barrel and up to a boat on the surface where his partner has been waiting. I have even seen some fishermen who bite the tales of the fish to keep it from getting away. They throw the fish into a cooler or live-bay and go on to the next coordinates.