Alan NeSmith
What can make a grown man slap himself repeatedly in the face? Or what weights a mere 100 milligrams, is less than an inch long and can make an 1,800-pound bull jump a board fence?
A red wasp.
Alien like creatures they are and believe me, I try to keep my distance. However, sometimes our worlds collide, and this past weekend was a good example. Thankfully, the fever left my arm Sunday evening.
I’m told all creature have a reason on this earth to be here, but there are a few I really question. At the top of my list are armadillos, fire ants and wasps. Of the three, wasp as a pollinator does make sense, but why do they need to have such a furious wallop of a sting?
For years, the boys and I have been trying to catch a 60-pound Appaloosa Catfish. However, the biggest we have landed so far is 53 pounds. The Georgia record, caught on the Altamaha River in 2010 weighed in at 83 pounds.
This invasive species of catfish from the Mississippi River was first introduced in Georgia waters in the 1970s. Who knows why or how, but they put up one heck of a fight. The only problem with Appaloosa Catfish, commonly known as Flatheads, is they have about wiped out the Redbreast Sunfish and Bullhead Catfish on the Altamaha River I grew up on. Both types of fish I loved to catch with my Granddaddy and Daddy growing up.
Many stars have to line up for us to go after the elusive 60-pounder in our favorite stretch of swamp. The hardest of the stars to line up for us is a river level between 7.5 feet and 9.5 feet. Because this is something, we have no control over. Other stars to line up are being able to catch and keep healthy the live bait in intense heat, and making the time to travel and fish.
Recent heavy rains in middle Georgia gave us a rare July 8.2-foot river level last Friday. Pulling out of the driveway at 5:35 a.m., I was proud of my family’s extra effort to hit the road early. We pulled into our favorite fried porkchop restaurant in Jesup (Jones Kitchen) when they opened the doors at 10:30 and were on the water by noon.
Easing though the flooded timber, we hit the main channel and were instantly horrified. It was hard to look in any direction and not see a wasp nest the size of a coffee saucer with some being as big as a Dixie plate. And on the tupelo trees red wasp were just hanging out on the limbs near the tree’s fruit.
In all we used eight cans of Hot Shot wasp and hornet killer Friday and Saturday.
Yes, Fenn and I got stung, but we sent thousands of the little devils to the great nest in the sky. William helped us knock down dozens of sprayed nests without a sting.
This is a crazy world right now. And there is no better place to find peace than in God’s Great Outdoors. Though I’ll never understand the reason for wasps, I do rejoice the 27-foot reach of a can of Hot Shot.
Keep growing 60-pounder, we’ll land you one day.
Alan NeSmith is the chairman of Community Newspapers Inc. Reach him at 706-778-4215 or anesmith@TheNortheastGeorgian.com.