Editor’s Note: Fifty-year-old James “Bink” Fox and 53-year-old Janet Fox have been married for 30 years. Prominent in that relationship is their love for catfishing. They follow the catfish scene as a well-respected husband and wife team. They love the competition, but they are also always anxious to meet and greet their fellow catfish anglers. Janet pinned the following story in consultation with Bink.
A transition from river adventures to tournament fishing.
When we first started fishing together, we would hit the Ohio River in Gallipolis, OH which is an hour south of our McArthur, OH home. It was a pretty quick and easy trip. Now we travel wherever a tournament may take us.
Bink was introduced to catfishing by his mom and dad when he was just a month old. They had him fishing on the bank of Salt Creek and that started his love of catfishing even if he didn’t know it yet.
I was a city girl and never fished until I met Bink. Slowly he talked me into going with him for short periods of time. Eventually, I loved to go fishing with him as much as he loved taking me.
Our adventures on the river ultimately led us to fish in local tournaments. Then, in 2003 we started fishing the Bass Pro Cabela’s King Kat Trail. Back then it was just the Cabela’s King Kat. We have fished the King Kat Trail every year since then.
We have met so many amazing people while fishing. We wouldn’t trade those friends and relationships for anything. It’s just amazing how fellow catfishermen and women will help you in a time of need. No matter if it’s day or night, a phone call is all it takes. And I promise you, someone will be there for you. We know from experience.
Catfishing has changed so much over the years and continues to change. That change makes it even more challenging. From just the basic fishing rods and hooks to the electronics there is always something new. I think all fishermen enjoy the challenge of learning something new.
The younger generation is really getting into catfishing and it is great to see. They thrive on learning and we love to share what we know and listen to what they are doing. If just one person can learn something new that is all it takes to spread it to others.
We could go on and on about people we admire in catfishing—Phil King, Jeff Dodd, and Doc Lange, to name a few.
Phil King was one of the first pro fishermen we met many years ago. He talked to us like he knew us forever. He gave us great encouragement to keep fishing even when we were having a bad tournament.
“Big Daddy” Jeff Dodd has always been helpful to us. He has answered so many questions that he probably gets tired of us.
Another fellow fisherman, Doc Lange, has become like family to both of us. We are always happy to visit with him.
One of our greatest memories was when we won the inaugural Winter Blues tournament on Lake Wheeler. We had very little time to pre-fish and our electronics had gone out so we were basically fishing blind. Thankfully, Bink had a plan and pulled out the old paper map. It paid off in a big win that included me catching my personal best blue cat at 76.4 pounds.
When all is said and done, we catfish because of the time that Bink and I spend together and the good times we have talking with other fishermen.
Finally, we both want to ask everyone to practice CPR. It is the right thing to do so we all can continue to catch those big beautiful catfish.
Tight lines,
Bink & Janet, aka Team Lucky Fox