Author: Chad Suggs

For those that know me well, it’s no mystery how I feel about the Great Pee River that carves the border of Anson and Richmond Counties in North Carolina. This majestic river is, in my opinion, the most undervalued and taken for granted resource in the area. With a lake created for hydroelectric power and the flowing river south of Blewett Falls Dam, the diversity of the he river and the activities it offers is endless.

Growing up I was able to go to Blewett Falls lake with fiends to enjoy boating and water skiing occasionally. My father would take me fishing below the damn when the water was low which was a unique experience. Crossing the rocks to get to his favorite fishing holes with a tube of crickets slung over your shoulder and a Zebco 33 in hand was my most memorable experience on the river as a kid. As I got older and graduated high school, I found myself enjoying the river with fiends again but In a more “adult” manner and I finally got my first vessel to enjoy the river with, a jet ski.

Through all these even very small experiences, one thing always remained constant, the river is and will always be legendary. From the legend of monster catfish that were larger than the divers that maintained the damn, to the fact that if you are from Anson or Richmond Counties - it’s part of who you are.

Recently, I finally had the opportunity to go catfishing with long time friends Shannon and Jill Parks. The Parks family are well known outdoorsmen and there has never been a challenge in the woods or on the water they could not master. Their new guide service, Wicked Cats, now makes it possible for the average person to go out and experience high level catfishing with proven experts. There is no telling how many tournaments they have won on The Great Pee Dee River and other bodies of water and they continue to compete and WIN!! Going into this, I was fully aware of their prowess and expected to have a trip of a lifetime. To preface, I had never been a catfisherman nor have I ever caught a catfish over 10 lbs or so.

We quickly hit the water in their boat designed specially for the purpose, including jet propeller to allow for safe operation in extremely shallow water. With a pile of rods and reels ready to go, top notch electronics for navigation, and specific bait caught on a separate excursion by Shannon with his amazing cast netting skills we were ready to head out. Once we boarded the boat, not more than five minutes passed on the water and we spotted a bald eagle in flight! A bald eagle sighting for most anyone is special, but that was just the first of three we saw that afternoon.

I catch a channel cat to start my day, which was immediately my personal record, and we didn’t even check the weight because even I knew this was “small” for the kind of fish they catch. The channel cat is a much smaller species than the famed blue catfish were are seeking on this trip. We moved on to another favorite spot and within a few more minutes, I was hooked up on a 45 lb blue catfish! Most people, including myself, dream about catching a fish of this size but knowing this family and the type of fish they catch regularly, it’s a common thing. We continue on up and down the river catching more catfish and it’s clear that a 20 or 30 pounder is a typical thing. At the very end of the trip, night had fallen. but as usual the Parks family is prepared for that transition with a boat outfitted perfectly for any situation. All of a sudden, one of the rods doubles over like nothing I had seen that day! The fish is stripping line and the rod feels like it’s welded in the rod holder. I get my feet planted firmly and rip the rod out of the holder and it’s on! This monster on the other end of the line is jetting up river and back down, then underneath it he boat...then doing it all again. We see the fish’s belly shine in the light and the fight this big cat is putting on, even Shannon was questioning what might be on the other end. The one thing we all knew is that it was BIG. The stripers have just began to run, so with the biodiversity in the river, it could have been several different species of fish. In the end after yelling a plethora of expletives while fighting this monster blue catfish, I had a 50 pounder in the boat!

If you are looking for an amazing trip click here: Wicked Cats

Wicked Cats Guide Service

Shannon Parks

P: 910-995-7587