In order to catch blue catfish, the Ferguson family set up along the southern side of Cowhouse Creek, as the wind was impacting this area strongly – a factor that often influences where blue catfish are found.
A year ago, the spot was on fire. The wind and temperature were almost the same as the year before, so we decided to try it again.”
Ken Ferguson works two weeks on and two weeks off at H&P Drilling in west Texas. Alicia Ferguson homeschools the couple’s children: 13-year-old twins Devin and Desi Ferguson, 5-year-old Tobias Finch, and 4-year-old Alyson Ferguson.
As if overnight camping with multiple children wasn’t adventure enough, things really got interesting around mid-morning on Sunday. In the overnight hours, some small blue catfish were landed, but things slowed off as the sun rose and the sky brightened on Sunday morning; that is, until the wind picked up and the waves began to crash.
Multiple rods were held upward in rod holders pounded into the bank. The Fergusons equipped the rod tips with small bells that sounded when a fish moved off.
Due to high winds, Alicia Ferguson said, “At first, we didn’t hear the bell ring. We looked over and saw the rod bent, and Ken told Devon to reel down, pick up the rod, and catch the fish. Several moments later, Devon thought the fish had become entangled in a tree. After waiting it out, he began reeling in the fish again and finally managed to land it.”
The fish was so shallow that Devon continued to hold the rod as Ken pulled it onto the dry ground. It weighed 47.6 pounds once it was put on the scales.
When the Ferguson family made contact with me as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fish weigh station, they were suspecting that the fish was a potential record-breaker for junior anglers. As the family intended to release the fish, however, and had no measuring device long enough to obtain its length measurement, they chose to set it free in order for it to spawn and give someone else an opportunity to snag it in future at an even higher weight and size.
Alicia and Ken created Profound Fishing in 2021 in response to the difficulty they were having finding a bait shop. It didn’t take them long to fall in love with the fishing community, so they began hosting tournaments through their Facebook group Hook’em Texas Fishing. As word of their store spread, they built up a presence on social media with humorous videos, fishing advice, and ways to give back to the community.
