I was directed to Lake Belton only about 15 minutes from where I was. Boat in tow, with a bucket of minnows, and a box of night crawlers I headed out to see what kind of success I would have.

I ended up going to about four different spots spending roughly two hours only to have my bait stolen off the hook.

I started getting discouraged until I spotted an elderly man about three hundred yards away fishing from the bank. I noticed this gentleman pulling his stringer from the water and to my surprise he had two full stringers of channel cat catfish ranging in weight from about two and half to fifteen pounds!

I asked him what he was doing to be so successful and he said the first stringer came from trot lines he had set up over night. When I asked what he was using for bait I was completely astounded by his answer. He pulled a small bag from his tackle box and revealed to me about a dozen small cut up pieces of ivory soap. I couldn't believe it, I was dumbfounded. I asked how it worked, and the old timer simply said "I don't know, my grandfather taught me this over forty years ago".

When I asked about his second and soon to be third stringer of catfish, he pulled his bait bucket from the water and showed me little creatures I have never seen or heard before. Helgamites was the name of the odd insects. Small shrimp like insects with an armor plated exoskeleton and huge ant like pinchers on their heads.

These creatures can draw blood and it hurts when they latch on to your finger, so use caution. These insects can be found in rocks close to the banks of rivers and fresh water lakes. The old man told me he always uses them along with another secret fishing tip. When the lake water drops a little the old man goes out and digs a hole about twenty to thirty feet off the bank, and drops a foul smelling brick of maze into the hole. The smell attracts the catfish in droves, and they hang around all day.

The old timer told me he catches about thirty to forty keepers every time he fishes. That day the old man and I caught fifty three catfish. As far as fresh water fishing for catfish is concerned, the old timer provided me with the ultimate total fishing tips.