Just received word that the Catfish Connection’s Christmas Flyer is being mailed out today and tomorrow to customers that have placed an order within the last three years. They’re being mailed to the address you received your last order at.
Check out the specials!
It’s starting to look alot like Christmas!! 
Brian…do they have any DVD’s with Toad in them? Cant find it anywhere!
I have a old in fisherman video with toad in it. take it you are talking Ottis Toad Smith? Might just have to watch that again tonight. Him and Doug sitting on the bank sucking down a bucket of fried chicken and wrestling big cats.
Mike W,
That was a good episode 
Toad was one of my favorite guys at In-Fisherman. I was sad to see him go 
Mike…what’s the title?
I’ll check Carpking…
Check out the article by doug stange called “Camp catfish” if you want to hear more about toad smith. Its a good read.
Catfish fever. That is the name of the video. My copie is atleast 10 years old. It was just a few years after that that toad passed away. Beleive his heart went out while hunting pheasents in the Dakotas.
Mike – thats the one Im looking for on DVD! But I will take any DVD’s that have Toad fishing in them. Toad was my idol. Him and Stange made quite a pair! It was rumored that Toad even used a body part for bait after he had surgery.
Todd had a heart problem and was told by his doctor to quit fishing and just take it easy or it would kill him for sure. Todd looked at it as if I’m going to die of a heart attack then I’m going to enjoy what time he had left fishing as much as he can as thats what he loved doing. He fished more and more and went to be with the Lord. He sure knew how to catch cats.
Thanks, Bill
If i’m not mistaken, didn’t Toad pass on while hunting?
The late Otis “Toad” Smith from Sibley, Iowa, probably was one of the few men who ever caught a catfish with his own heart. After a very serious heart operation where a portion of Smith’s heart was cut away, Smith went fishing for catfish, one of his favorite pastimes. Smith had told the doctors before the operation that he wanted to keep whatever portion of his heart they cut out. He said his heart belonged to him.
Smith kept the part of his heart in a glass jar filled with formaldehyde. One day after he came home from the hospital, he looked at the piece of his heart in that jar and decided his heart should perform some useful function. He poured the formaldehyde out and replaced the liquid with Fish Formula’s Catfish Scent. The first time he went fishing, he took a piece of his old heart from the jar, baited it on a hook and cast it out into the river. In just a few minutes, he caught an 8-pound catfish.
He was a true catter! 
I think he died while out pheasant hunting. I remember the article Stange wrote in tribute to Toad. It was very moving and the line I remember most – “Darn it Toad, I wasn’t finished with you yet.”
I’ve got an In-Fisherman video from the early 90’s that has a small segment featuring Toad, Stange, and Al Lindner. Just watched it a couple days ago for the first time in many years.
Toad was one of a kind!
Good Fishing,
Mike
In checking around, I haven’t heard from CC at this time…but it appears that Catfish Fever is only available on VHS.
Mike, do any of your sources list a DVD?
No, I don’t have any suppliers that offer DVD’s. I’m sure you could contact In-Fisherman through their website.
Thanks,
Mike
Found it on InFisherman’s site, thanks! Great Christmas present!
Quote:
If i’m not mistaken, didn’t Toad pass on while hunting?
He may of died while hunting but his heart belonged to catfishing and he increased his catfishing greatly after being told of his condition by his doctor. If he was going to die he wanted to spend everyday he had left doing what he loved to do. One of his best friends, Doug Stange of In-Fisherman [who also grew up in Iowa], told about his last days in one of the magazines after Toad passed away.
Thanks, Bill
Received my flyer in the mail today!
Catfish Connection listed ALL the In-Fisherman VHS Catfish videos for $9.95.
The discontinued Trophy 6500 with the catfish image for $79.95
and
Trilene Big Cat Line for $4.60!
I’ve already told Deb just to stuff my stocking with a gift certificate for a couple hundered dollars (I’m guessing I’ll see a twenty with a note that says “get your own stinky stuff!” 
I’ve already told Deb just to stuff my stocking with a gift certificate for a couple hundered dollars (I’m guessing I’ll see a twenty with a note that says “get your own stinky stuff!”
[end of quote]
And here I thought Deb was turning into Catwoman.
Oh well, get your own stinky stuff. 
THAT’s the problem Bill, SHE’S buying for here self!
Toby Keith has it right…”What about ME!”
Brian, its MUCH better to have a wife who spends her money on fishing stuff for herself than to have one of them high maintance women who spend your money on clothes, jewelry, expensive cars/SUVs, Country Club etc. You now have a fishin partner which is MUCH better than a spending your money partner. 
ps. does she have an unmarried sister? 
I hear ya Bill…but she does that too!
I guess I can’t complain too much. She drove down to Prescot about 11pm one night to pick up two catters that never made it out fishing..fuel pump. And I recall a time when she went out of here way to pick up some size 10/0 Gammas when I was out of hooks and needed them that night…
She’d be perfect if I could just get her to clean and cook fish…she doesn’t have to eat them…just the cleaning and the cooking! 
Sorry, gotta run and get the dishs started!
Quote:
I hear ya Bill…but she does that too!
I guess I can’t complain too much. She drove down to Prescot about 11pm one night to pick up two catters that never made it out fishing..fuel pump. And I recall a time when she went out of here way to pick up some size 10/0 Gammas when I was out of hooks and needed them that night…
She’d be perfect if I could just get her to clean and cook fish…she doesn’t have to eat them…just the cleaning and the cooking!
Sorry, gotta run and get the dishs started!
Look at it this way Bud: If you are having to help out with cleaning and cooking, only fair since she works a job too, then that means theres someone there to clean and cook for [not alone]. Sounds to me like you have a pretty good gal there Bud. Treat her special. [special gals who love to fish are hard to find]
Thanks, Bill
Yup! Again you’ve hit the nail on the head!
If I would get to bed earlier, I would be awake so she could make me bacon/hashbrowns/toast/oatmeal…
I’m alittle upset with her this morning…she left for work without cleaning the driveway off…and I just bought her a new shovel! 
Now I have to sit and look at it all day…’till she gets home.
Figured I’d better erase part of my orginal post for your sake. Sitting home all day huh? Don’t you ever work? Poor gal, she has to work two full time jobs-#1 working at her job plus #2 taking care of you. Some guys have it sooooooooo rough.
Bill, that’s my job…sitting at home…that’s all I do…and I do it well!
I did go to Fleet Farm today to get her some propane tanks for the heater in the garage. She likes to take a break from shoveling once the snowfall hits 6 to 8 inches or so… Hey! I take care of her!
Anyway, nuff about her
Did you get your flyer yet?
Got my flyer right away when you mentioned that it was being sent out. Some nice stuff in there. Gotta wait and make sure theres enough dough to buy presents for family before I spend on myself. Looks like we have til December 31st to buy. Speaking about Christmas presents and stocking stockers, I just gotta share this one with you. My youngest son Nate always thought it was real cool that his stocking that was hung up every year was bigger as everyone elses. So the other day when Jessie said she was going shopping Nate told her to get a stocking for Makenzie, their 1 1/2 month old daughter, and to make sure it was bigger than theirs was. She came back with a stocking thats about 3-4 feet tall. The last two times I saw her she had on a orange hunting outfit and the second time she had on a viking outfit. She likes to sit in her little chair thing inside the boat [which is in the tuck under garage] and watch her Dad rig his fishing rods. Glad to see he is bringing her up right. Another grandchild who will love fishing. 
Thanks, Bill
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
