I have written about the incident that gives this column its name before, but it was several years ago. This is an updated version, which doesn't change things; it's just for folks like my daughter, Lara Mason, manager of the Downtown Guest Quarters, who had never heard this story.

Lara and I were sitting in Vertis' bedroom talking when a big roach crawled up the outside screen door. We both commented about the size of the roach, which was about 2 inches long.

After a few "yucks" and "glad it's on the outside" comments, I said, "Best fish bait," and Lara said, "Nobody would use roaches as fish bait!"

This is my Best Fish Bait Story.

Back in the '40s and '50s, when environmental regulations were few and far between, the city of El Dorado and Union County operated a garbage dump off what is now Industrial Road. It has long since been closed and eliminated, but in the early '50s it was active.

I was about 15, and my best friend, Buddy Henley of Henley Feed (who is deceased), was 13 then, and hunting and fishing were our prime pastimes. I had just started driving an old used truck my dad had bought when Buddy and I happened to drive by the city dump, which was on Industrial Road. Wow, it was teeming with rats and roaches.

"Hey, Buddy," I said, "let's come back tonight with our headlights and .22s and do some target........

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