Blue Springs man uses lucky fishing rod to land big catfish

Catch of the week

Terry Williams of Blue Springs has caught some impressive catfish on his lucky fishing rod.

He caught a 40-pound blue cat on the pole years ago below Truman Dam. And in September, he proved that the rod can still handle a big fish.

Fishing from a dock at Lake Jacomo, he landed a 47-pound flathead.

“I’ve fished with that same surf rod for more than 30 years,” said Williams, 62. “It just doesn’t wear down.”

Williams caught the big flathead while following his weekly routine. He fishes three to four times a week, meeting up with the same fishing partners at Jacomo.

He used the 15-foot surf rod to cast his bait, fresh cut shad, and put a bell on the line to alert him when he had a hit. When the bell rang, he rushed over and pulled back.

“At first, I thought I was snagged,” he said.

But when the line started moving, he knew had a huge fish. It didn’t take him long to reel in the catfish. The challenge came when he tried to land it.

Because he was using a long fishing rod, he had to back up on the adjacent boat ramp to get the fish close enough. Then friends waded out and got part of the catfish in a net, while others got hold of the fish and flopped it into shore.

“I knew there were huge flatheads in Jacomo,” Williams said. “But you don’t see one like this come along every day.”

Incoming!

Canada goose hunters will return to their blinds Saturday for the opening day of the Missouri early season.

The season, which will continue through Oct. 12, is designed to give hunters a shot at the state’s resident Canadas. But early migrants and brants also can add to the opportunities.

The regular season will open Nov. 27 and run through Jan. 31. The daily limit is three and the possession limit is nine.

“We’re No. 1”

Want to shoot a trophy buck? North American Whitetail magazine will give you directions to Kansas.

The magazine ranked Kansas as the top state in the nation in its fall top 20 ratings. The publication touted the Sunflower State for its “ridiculous numbers of giant deer, miles and miles of open space, bountiful public access and a slim chance of bumping into anyone else.”

The magazine also noted that Kansas has the highest number of Pope and Young Club buck entries per hunter over the past five years. The club maintains records for North American big game.

The magazine ranked Missouri as 18th.

New Trout Unlimited chapter

Trout Unlimited, a national conservation group dedicated to protecting and restoring cold-water fisheries, has a new chapter in the Kansas City area.

Named MoKan Trout Unlimited, the new chapter will serve members within a 50-mile radius of the metropolitan area. The new chapter will provide a local connection for the 500 Trout Unlimited members who reside in the area, said MoKan president James Soukup.

The chapter is accepting new members. For more information, email mokantu@gmail.com. or call Soukup at 479-879-6210.

Managing for wildlife

Tours to demonstrate how landowners can manage for wildlife will take place the next two weeks on both sides of the Missouri-Kansas state line.

The first will be from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 11 at the Clinton Wildlife Area in Lecompton, Kan. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and the Jayhawk Chapter of the Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation will lead a tour to showcase management practices that are beneficial to quail and other upland wildlife.

Interested parties can contact agency biologist Brad Rueschhoff at 785-273-6740 or by emailing brad.rueschoff@ksoutdoors.com. Participants must register by Monday.

A second event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 18 at the Jungk Tree Farm near Weston. Participants at the Taking Care of Your Land Field Day will learn how to thin timber for better wildlife habitat, prevent erosion on trails, provide food plots for deer, construct ponds and control invasive species.

To register, contact Department of Conservation forester Paul Whitsell at 816-655-6263, extension 1345.

This story was originally published October 2, 2014 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Blue Springs man uses lucky fishing rod to land big catfish."