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SOME BIG MISSISSIPPI "CATS" How large do catfish grow in the Mississippi? One was recently caught by David 3Ieade, a commercial fisherman, near 3IcGregor, la., which weighed sixty ltounds. The big catfish was hauled in in a trammel net along with 400 pounds of sturgeon, the kind that yields "Russian cavaire." The Hill Brothers, neighbor fishermen of 3Ir. Jleade, caught an eighty-pound "cat" near the same place last summer, which reminds one that the vicinity of the 3Iississippi abuut the mouth of the Wisconsin River and Pictured Rocks and Pikes Hill, opposite where fishermen Meade and Hills caught the catfish, liati long been famous for big fish and big fish stories. As long ago as 1773 Peter Pond, a Yankee adventurer, caught big fish in the same place as a quaint diary which he kept and which is now-preserved in historical annals tells. "I descended the Wisconsin River to the mouth which empteys into the Mississippey and Cros that River and incampt," he wrote. "Just at night as ware incampt we perscaved hirge fish earning 011 the sarfes of the watr. We piit our hoock and lines into the water and leat them ly all nite. In the morning we perseaved tharo was fish at the hoocks and went to the wattr eag and halld on our line. Thay came heavey. At length we bald one ashore that wade, a hundred and four pounds a seacond that was one hundcrcd wate a third of seventy-five pounds. The men was glad to sea this, for thay had not eat mete for sum days nor fisli for a long itime. We asked our men how money men the largest would give a nieale. Sum of the largest eaters sade twelve men would eat it at a meal. We agreed to give ye fish if they would find twelve men that would undertake it. They began to "Ures It. The fish was what was calld the cat fish. It had a large, flat head, sixteen, inches letwene the else. They skind it cnt it up in three large coppers such as we have for the youse of our men. After it was well boild thay sawd it up and all cot round it. Thay began and eat the hole without the least thing with it but salt and sum of them drank of the licker it was boihl in. Thay all declard thay felt the beater of thare meale nor did I perseave that eney of them were sick or complaind."
