Page from the Past: Catfish Campfire Chronicles
From Scribner’s Monthly, May 1878
In the May 1878 issue of Scribner’s Monthly, a magazine popular from 1870 through 1881, a lively tale recounts a camping adventure and an unforgettable catfish catch. The story brims with humor, excitement and a touch of marital teamwork as the narrator and his wife, Euphemia, navigate the challenges of outdoor life.
The adventure begins when the narrator casts his line into a dark, shadowy pool under some alders—a spot that promises fish. It doesn’t take long before he hooks something substantial.
“I got a splendid bite—not only a bite, but a pull,” the man said. “I knew that I had certainly hooked a big fish! The thing actually tugged at my line so that I was afraid the pole would break.”
As he struggles to manage the powerful fish, Euphemia rushes to his aid with advice she’s gleaned from her reading.
“Give him the butt! Give him the butt!” she cries breathlessly.
“Give him what?” he exclaims, bewildered.
“The butt! The butt! I know that’s right! I read how Edward Everett Hale did it in the Adirondacks.”
Unsure of how to “give the butt” or even what it means, the narrator devises his own plan.
“I’m going to try to just pull him out lengthwise,” he said. “You take hold of the pole and go inshore as far as you can, and I’ll try and get hold of the line.”
Euphemia did as he bade her and drew the line in so her husband could reach it. As soon as he had a firm hold of it, he pulled in, regardless of consequences, and hauled ashore an enormous catfish.
“Hurrah!” he shouted. “Here is a prize.”
“What a horrid beast!” Euphemia exclaims. “Throw it in again.”
“Not at all!” he replies. “This is a splendid fish, if I can ever get him off the hook. Don’t come near him! If he sticks that back-fin into you, it will poison you.”
Despite her initial disgust at the fish’s whiskered face and formidable back fin, Euphemia helps gather the smaller fish they’ve caught and prepares the campfire. Back at camp, the man struggles to skin the fish, eventually preparing it for Euphemia to fry.
“She fried the fish, because I told her that was the way catfish ought to be cooked, although she said that it seemed very strange to her to camp out for the sake of one’s health, and then to eat fried food.”
The result is a triumph.
“But that fish was splendid! The very smell of it made us hungry,” he said. “Everything was good, and when supper was over and the dishes washed, I lighted my pipe and we sat down under a tree to enjoy the evening.”
This humorous and vivid account from the 19th century captures the timeless joys of catfishing: the thrill of the catch, the challenges of preparation and the satisfaction of sharing a delicious meal in the great outdoors. May your own catfishing adventures be as memorable!
