Wobbly
| Back in the early 1990s, the dam of a small pond broke and its' fish population escaped. The pond was managed by a group of biologists who were experimenting with the cross breeding of Arkansas Blue Catfish and Wyoming Buffalo Carp. Their goal was to create a fish that would grow quickly and be tasty table fare. One of the free-swimming fish found its way into a 32,000 acre impoundment located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. As soon as the fish discovered open water, it headed upstream and swam for twenty miles. Its northerly progress was halted by the spillway of a dam that fed the lake from upriver. It was there in the clear, cool tail race waters filled with forage fish, that it took up residence. In its new environment, the fish quickly grew to gigantic proportions. Year after year it lazily swam undetected in the deep water below the dam. By the fourth year, its appearance became somewhat eerie. At first glance it resembled an oversized channel bass, but a second look revealed a shark like appearance. Regardless of what one thought, the mind's eye saw a fish larger than "Jaws." It was now too big to hide, and rumors of a local sea monster spread quickly. The fish was named "Wobbly" because it wobbled as it swam. This action was due to a missing fin that some believe was broken when the big fish became lodged between the pilings of the railroad bridge. Rumor has it that after quite a struggle, it lost the fin trying to free itself from the bridge. Wobbly was sought after by fishermen from far and wide. Anglers came from Wobbly was sought after by fishermen from far and wide. Anglers came from as far away as Mississippi to try their skills at catching him, but none did. To lure the fish, one angler actually gang hooked a goat to a rope, tied the free end to the bumper of his pickup truck and set the poor goat afloat. Wobbly couldn't resist a goat swimming on the surface and quickly swallowed it, pulling the truck into the water as it swam away. When the rope finally parted, Wobbly swam freely once again, at full speed he headed toward the railroad bridge just as a train was passing over the trestle. The old structure shook from the force of the south bound fish, and the passenger train swayed violently from side to side. The erratic motion of the train caused the bridge pilings to buckle enough to allow Wobbly to squeeze through the opening. As he cleared the bridge, the train and all of its passengers went tumbling down into the water below. Rescue workers were on the scene within minutes. Helicopters, fire boats and lake patrol vessels were everywhere and succeeded in rescuing all of the passengers. Most had scrapes and bruises, but none were seriously injured. Following the incident, the investigation concluded that Wobbly was the cause of the derailment. Afterwards, he was nowhere to be found. Some believe that he made his way back to the lower end of the lake where he now makes his home in deep water. Recently, a state record catfish weighing more than eighty pounds, was taken from the lake. Those who saw it thought it looked somewhat like an Arkansas Blue Catfish, while others thought it resembled a Wyoming Buffalo Carp. Could it have been Wobbly's first born??? .... be reminded that small fish have large tales Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' with Gus! at http://www.fishingwithgus.com/ or call 704 617 6812. For additional information, e-mail him at Gus@LakeNorman.com. |
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