TOMMY HILL shows off the two big catfish he caught in Alabama. HAROLD SHOWS, left, his step-grandson "Buckshot" and Stanley Moore landed this big 47-pound catfish on a recent trip. RANDY HENDRY, left, Leslie Hill, center, and Steve Dewease show off the 46-pound catfish they caught recently. Real whoppers Mississippi records Caught on rod and reel Channel cat: 51 pounds, 12 ounces, Tom Edwards, Lake Tom Bailey Blue cat: 93 pounds, Carrol Pearson, Mississippi River near Rosedale Flathead: 66 pounds, Brad Hillhouse, Mississippi River near Friars Point World record Tim Pruitt of Godfrey, Ill, in May caught a 124-pound blue catfish that was 58 inches long and 44 inches around. He caught it in the Mississippi River at Alton, Ill. It took him 30 minutes to land the fish.

Tommy Hill of Petal fishes for most every kind of fish, but he really likes catfish.

That's why he and his extended family take a few days off each spring to go to Alabama to fish the Tombigbee River.

"I've liked to do it all over the years," Hill said. "I like the thrill of catching a big catfish - anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds. I like it, you can take your time, you're not in any rush. Bass fishing, you can wear your arm out. It's a leisurely thing but a working thing."

Hill's family is so good at fishing for catfish that they caught 1,400 pounds worth on their 2007 trip.

They set up trot lines, limb lines and throw lines at night, baiting them with live minnows.

"We put our lines out and bait them up right before dark," Hill said. "We used to run 'em all night long. But if you want to catch big fish, put the line down and leave it alone, or you'll spook him."

Catching 1,400 pounds of catfish requires plenty of bait. The Hills go to the Leaf River and catch several thousand minnows, and take them to the deep-water rivers in Alabama. Hill said the Leaf River is filled with so much sand that it's difficult to get up and down it.

Plus, catfish like deep water.

"I have boated a 60-pounder and several 40s," Hill said. "You have to go to the Mississippi River or the Tombigbee. You can't catch them around here any more, although I have in the past.

"You tend to catch your bigger fish in big water on trot lines. You catch lot of edible fish on set hooks - a line tied to a limb, one single hook. A throw line, you have anywhere from 25 to 30 hooks. A trot line runs clear across the water."

The Hills put two or three people in 17- or 18-foot boats. It takes quite a while to bait all their hooks, then they leave the bait alone, usually for several hours. When they return to check the bait, they hope big catfish are hooked.

Well, maybe not real big catfish.

Blue catfish are usually bigger than tabby cats, but Hill said they have an oily taste to them. He said tabby catfish are always good to eat.

"I'd rather fish a river than a pond or lake," Hill said, "because the water is always moving, and it's cleaner most of the time. You catch tabby cats with live bait, blues with dead bait."

Hill, 49, who works at Hattiesburg Coca-Cola, said he has been fishing for catfish for about 30 years.

"I bought my first boat and motor before I got out of high school," Hill said.

During that time, experience has taught him the best ways to catch catfish.

"I like to catch fish coming out of a deep hole coming to shallow water," he said. "Fish lay up in them holes and move out to feed."

Hill said youngsters and oldsters can enjoy fishing for catfish.

"One time it was 37 degrees, and my mother was going up and down the river nine miles," he said. "She enjoyed it."

Oh, and there's one more reason Hill likes it. It's the result of those trips up and down the river.

"It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun," he said. "And we eat too good."

Fishing with trotlines or jugs isn't the only way to catchcatfish.

Michael Johnson, 47, and Shamus Crockrum, 36, recently spent a morning with their rods and reels fishing on the Bouie River in Hattiesburg.

"I use worms or chicken livers for bait," Johnson said. "Catfish are scavengers, so they eat just about anything if they're hungry. I've caught 'em with Hungry Jack biscuits."

Johnson said the largest catfish he ever caught was a long way from Hattiesburg.

"I caught one that weighed 45 pounds in Clear Lake, California, above Sacramento," he said. "It took about an hour to bring him in. I got him in the boat and my daughter jumped out of the boat. We ate him. It was good."

Cockrum said his biggest catfish was a 9-pounder.

"I catch whatever's biting, but a lot of times down here, cats will be biting more than anything.

"Sometimes they'll bite early in the morning. We'll stop fishing, then come back in the evening. There's a couple of holes here, but I don't know how deep they are."

Originally published Friday, June 1, 2007