Man Uses Tribal Music To Lure Fish to His Dock To Entertain Neighborhood Kids

On a small lake in Gray, Georgia, Eddie Altman prepares for his evening ritual on the dock behind his house.

He sets up his stereo, puts in a C.D., and sets his cowboy hat on his head. Then, he lets mother nature do the rest.

“I enjoy doing it, and the kids get a kick out of it,” Altman says.

Altman has been playing Native American tribal music from his dock for seven years. Every time he plays it, he feeds the catfish in the pond. And just like Pavlov’s dogs, the fish have learned that music, means dinner.

“Of course, it you feed them at the same time every day, they pretty soon get the idea you know,” Altman laughs.

The kids come out to visit Mr. Altman, and most of them have the same word of response when they see all those fish heads coming up to feast.

Cool.

“They look like vacuums,” 10 year old Janie says.

With the beat of the drum banging from the dock, the water is frothing with fish coming up to suck up the food Altman begins throwing out. The kids, stand on the edge, peering into the water to catch the spectacle.

Altman came up with the idea a few years ago, and figured it would be a fun way to feed the fish, and entertain the children too. He chose tribal drums after he heard them on the radio many years ago. He figured, if he liked the sound of the drums, the fish might like them too.

“It worked, they (the fish) keep coming up when they first hear the music.”

Altman only feeds the fish between June and September while the weather is warm. He says the fish don’t come to the surface during the cooler months because they stay in the deeper, warmer water.