Rance Bore-‘em
By James Robinson, aka George Killikrankie Kauphy
Welcome to our new magazine section, Page From the Past, where we will periodically share with you timeless stories that celebrate the mystique of catfish and the captivating adventures of those who seek them. Here, we’ll uncover tales that span generations, transporting you to waters teeming with the lore and legends surrounding these whiskered giants. From riveting accounts of anglers’ triumphs to the mesmerizing folklore tied to these enigmatic creatures, our collection invites you to explore the rich tapestry of literature dedicated to catfish and the passionate individuals who have woven themselves into its narrative.
Our first story is a doozy written by Georgia humorist James Robinson under the pen name George Killikrankie Kauphy. It was part of a collection of humor stories published in 1853, which he called “Kups of kauphy: a Georgia book, in warp and woof.” In it, the hero and teller of the story, Rance Bore-‘em (a braggart who could “talk for hours, awake, asleep and maybe in a trance”) relates an incident with a monstrous catfish caught in the great State of Texas.
“Were you speaking of fishing, sir? Well, gentlemen, I had some experience in the ‘art of hooking’ when I was in Texas, which I must tell you.
“Expecting to find large fish in the waters of the great State of Texas, as I passed through New Orleans, I had made to order some extra-large hooks and a supply of lines, such as vessels use in anchoring! The place at which I stopped was near a large river, and the sport promised to be excellent; but it far exceeded my expectations, for we often had to send home for several yoke of oxen to pull out some of the fish we hung, and it was sometimes hard work at that!
“This is a fact, gentlemen, I could get twenty men to testify to, but this is nothing to one haul we made, which, if I hadn’t seen, no man on earth could have made me believe a moment. We made up a party and prepared a large quantity of bait and provision for several days fishing. When we reached the banks of the river, we put in our hooks – those same big ones I had had made in New Orleans, and I think there were ten of us fishing close together!
“All at once we had a bite, every hook was swallowed, and away we pulled, but couldn’t move whatever it was; so, we carried our lines out and made them fast to a few small trees—I suppose none of them more than twenty feet in diameter—until we could get help.
“So, we sent after and procured twenty yoke of oxen, hitched two yokes to each line and with a long pull and a strong pull of men and oxen, up and out came one of the largest kind of Catfish—his mouth being at least ten feet across! Out of him we made fifty barrels of oil, for which, in New Orleans, we obtained thirty dollars each, thus making the pretty little sum of fifteen hundred dollars – a nice morning’s work, gentlemen.
“Ah! Texas is a great—a glorious—a grand country to live in—everything grows in such plenty and profusion!”
