One BIG Cat Tale Ft. Bragg/Cape Fear Chapter - July 7, 2011 Matt (aka Chief) took Carlton (aka Duncan) and his family fishing on the Cape Fear River at the William O. Husk Lock and Dam AKA Lock and Dam #3. (There...gave you the treasure spot!) Carlton is also a Purple Heart recipient and Infantry Man who was injured in Iraq when his HMMWV was struck by a road side bomb. He brought along his mother Anne, step father Joseph, wife Marie, daughter Rose, and son Carlton Jr. on the trip. His mom and step dad were visiting from California. They launched and began fishing around 1800 for Catfish. Carlton's wife and children fished from the long sandy bank adjacent to the dam. The others paddled around and fished using cut bait, but the Catfish weren't hitting on it so Matt tried a new technique and stated, "A local fisherman suggested just using the head as bait, so I put a red eared sun fish head with a circle hook through the eye socket and dropped it in the hole where I saw some guys pull a 16 and 13 pound Blue from the week before." Well Matt must have received some good advice; because approximately 20 minutes later, he landed an 8 pound Flat Head Catfish. Matt stated, "It was exciting since this is the first of the species I've ever caught!" After that, the fever had set in. Over the next few hours, Matt caught 3 more catfish with his biggest being a 15 pound blue (a personal best). Best of all, Carlton landed a 24 pound, 37 in long Blue; this is also the biggest fish Carlton has ever caught. Proof is in the photos! After cleaning up the gear and filleting the fish, Carlton and his family invited Matt over to their house to deep fry some of their fresh catch. Matt stated, "We stayed up talking about the trip late into the night. Without a doubt, Carlton is a future YakFisherman and plans to get his own Kayak. The entire family had a fun and memorable experience, and it was awesome to get to take them out and land some fish." Matt is one of the most passionate guys I know when it comes to fishing. He makes everyone around him excited to get on the water; and he's always willing to take time out to help someone put on a lure, untangle their line, load/unload the gear, and take a picture of a fellow battle with their catch of the day! The HOW Program, and the Fort Bragg/Cape Fear Chapter in particular, are grateful to have him on the team! So for any of you catfisherman, make sure you catch up with Matt on our next outing to compare fish tales. You'll catch the fever too! =) Happy fishing! Michelle Little
Heroes on the Water
Fort Bragg/Cape Fear Coordinator | 
