FISHERMAN: RIVER BECKONS `KING OF COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN'

Harry Allen lowered his four-pronged hook into the Mississippi, dragged it along the side of his 20-foot commercial fishing boat and peered hard into the murky water.

"I found it," exclaimed Allen, his grin causing the handlebar mustache to twitch against the bright sun. His excitement intensified when he felt resistance as he pulled the hook net out of the water. "I don't know what I've got, but somethin' is working awful hard to get out. Dad gum this bugger's a strong one."

Allen fills out his denim coveralls with simple distinction, lending credence to the title bestowed by Honkers Boat Club caretaker Tom Wolsey. "Harry Allen is the king of commercial fishermen, but now that's just my opinion," Wolsey said. "If Harry says there's fish at a certain place, I'd bring something to put 'em in because Harry is rarely wrong about things like that," Wolsey said.

Allen, who is the only commercial fisherman in the area, is not getting rich from his favorite pastime. After he pays for a commercial fishing license, buys tags and a trammel net, Allen has spent more than he usually makes.

If he catches more than his family of six can eat, he sells the rest for gas money or just gives it away. He draws his biggest paycheck from his full-time job at Atlas Plastics.

When the net was completely out of the water, four catfish began thumping against the bow of the boat, frantically searching for a way out of the nylon net.

The Cape Girardeau fisherman grabbed the first 18-pound catfish by its gills and grinned. He then opened his tank and tossed the fish in. Not a bad catch for a fisherman who doesn't even use bait. But then, he's the king and he's done much better. His best catch to date is a 54-pound catfish. His best day brought so many fish, some 200, Allen had to make two trips.

The smile today's first catch elicited didn't last long. Allen lowered the net into the water and got back to business. He fired up both 40 horsepower Johnson motors, shot a knowing glance at his wife Marie and pointed the boat north. When he recognized the spot where he believed he left his net, he gently eased the Army green craft toward the designated area and killed the engines.

"My fun is watching Harry fish," Marie said. "When we get back home, then I go to work cleaning 'em and then soaking 'em in saltwater for an hour or so."

Harry's smile returns, then fades when he notices eddies a short distance from the boat. "I don't believe the bestest swimmer in the world could get through that current," Allen said.

Spending a few hours with Allen on the river turns into much more than a mundane fishing excursion. Allen understands the laws of barge traffic as well as something as minute as leeches that cling to his nets.

"Get a few of those buggers on your skin and they'll eat away at ya," said Allen, who hosed his nets down to rid them of the leeches and other debris from the Mississippi.

If you want philosophy 101, professor Allen will provide plenty. "Fish are pretty smart in one way and in another way they're kinda nosy," he said. "That's where my nets come in handy."

When he pulled up his second net, Allen came up empty. "The front was closed, so the fish swimmin' upstream can't get in," explained Allen. Upon fishing the third net out of the water, Allen realized there was just one small catfish. "That happens sometimes," said Allen, who became distracted by a sleek cruiser making its way past his $4,000 custom-made commercial boat.

"That thing probably takes a big pile of money to run," Allen said. "When that thing gets cranked up, it will make bigger waves than the barge down there," he said, nodding toward the barge heading south.

As the sun sinks, so does the temperature. Marie notices that one of the passengers is starting to get cold. "I remember one Saturday in January when it was so cold I had to knock the icicles off of Harry's mustache," Marie mused.

"I take my trammel nets out when it gets a lot colder," Allen said. "Those cost a lot more, about $100, but they can hold more fish."

Today's catch was nothing for Allen to brag about. But judging from the look of satisfaction, he enjoyed the time on the river.

"I'm going to retire in January," Allen said. "I'll have more time for this sort of thing, then. I'd like to put 10 nets up when that time comes."

Marie, who plans to clean all that Harry catches, flashed a look of concern. "How many nets, Harry?"