Cattin' the Red

Cattin the Red captures a vivid memory of river fishing along the Red River below a dam on the Texas–Oklahoma border. The narrator recalls Lake Texoma, created by an upstream dam, as a vast reservoir where striped bass and blues gathered during flood flows. Guided by J.C. McCullough in an airboat, they fished downstream of the flood gates, free‑lining live shad behind the dam and letting the current drift them toward productive holes. The catches arrived instantly, with stripers and blues feeding on the shad as fast as they moved through the river. The piece shifts to J.C.'s backstory, describing a teenage life living in a shack built from scrap lumber and tarps, warmed by a wood‑burning stove. He reflects on a time when river life provided steady sustenance, catching fish and eking out a living in the woods. The author recalls fishing trips with friend Jeff Rice for a segment of A Sportsmans Life, and the enduring appeal of that wild stretch of river. The narrative honors craft, memory, and a lifelong passion for rivermen's skills.