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| Elizabeth City Shriner Steve Caldwell puckers up for a mullet held by Mike McGinley, while Ed Bick watches. BARBARA J. WOERNER PHOTOS | SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT |
By JEFF HAMPTON, The Virginian-Pilot © August 26, 2007
CAMDEN
Camden County native Charles Cuthrell, his wife, Pat, and 10 others stretched a gill net nearly the width of a football field as they waded toward the Pasquotank River shoreline.
Their anchored boats bobbed in the water behind them. A few small, silver-colored fish leaped from the water. That was what Cuthrell and his friends were hoping to catch in abundance - striped mullets, better known as jumping mullets.
"I hope we catch some fish," Cuthrell said. "I reckon that's why they call it fishing."
These fishers are in it for the fun. They're dressed in swim suits, T-shirts and ball caps instead of slickers and rubber boots like a serious commercial angler. Back-and-forth banter is plentiful. Friend Ben Burgess took some ribbing over his lime green T-shirt and matching wading shoes, In case they got lost, they could use him for a beacon.
Cuthrell, a tall, lean 70-year-old, has been catching, cooking and eating mullets all his life, as his folks did before him. As far as he knows, nobody else around these parts fishes for mullets like this - just for fun.
"People used to go down to the river and cook mullets and drink bootleg liquor," he said. "That was a big thing years ago."
These days, beer and soft drinks replace the bootleg liquor. Well, there might be some liquor.