Catfish

Catfish "tails" abound in Americana.  

In Mark Twain’s 1883 memoir, Life on the Mississippi, Twain writes of having seen six-foot, 250-pound catfish in the river, which, if true, would dwarf the standing North American record—a 143-pound blue cat caught in Kerr Lake on the Virginia–North Carolina border in 2011. Divers working on dams have seen incredibly large catfish — so large, in fact, the divers refused to go back underwater because they feared being eaten! While some catfish can weigh more than 100 pounds, they don't get big enough to swallow humans so you don't have to worry about going into the water. 

We are celebrating Catfish with song and images. For instance, Farmer Jason provides a musical background to our homage with his 2014 song https://youtu.be/bJpUHMuMiXk" target="_blank">Catfish.

Scott McQueen's Catfish image is the inspiration for our most recent edition of Alabama Public Radio socks and a coffee mug. Scott is a Folk Artist based in Northport, Ala.  Learn more ahout him here. 

Want a pair of socks? How about a mug? Make a donation to Alabama Public Radio to order your choice today!