Looking for a Fish Named God

When I was in sixth grade my teacher would read to the class every day after lunch.  I don't know how long he would read.  Maybe a half hour, maybe more.  I can still remember some of what we heard: Oliver Twist, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Huckleberry Finn, and short stories from Poe, Harte, Twain, and many others.

When I think about these books and stories, I consider myself fortunate to have been exposed to some classic but controversial works.  What sixth grader today reads, or even hears, The Lottery?  Many things we heard have faded from my memory, but I can still hear Mr. De Young's voice painting pictures of Simon Legree, Calaveras County, the mean streets of London, or a murder mystery in Paris.

Which brings me to the title of this post.  For some reason, I find myself looking for a fish named God.  This may sound strange, but Mr. De Young is back in my head, 40 years later, reading a short story about a wise old trout, so elusive that the author has named him God.

Suddenly, for the past week, I'm remembering parts of this story vividly.  I have no idea why this is coming back to me.  I remember Mr. De Young describing the the community reaction to the use of God's name for a fish.  Apparently this was edgy stuff in the early 1970s.  I don't think I was all that upset at the time.  I was hooked by the awe, amazement, energy, and visual imagery of the story.

I can't remember much about the story, but for some reason, and I don't fish much any more, I've got a fish named God stuck in my head.  A simple internet search should help, but I'm striking out.  There doesn't seem to be anything I can (easily) find about this fish story.  I don't know the author, and I can't remember what happens at the end.  I have trolled the internet looking for this story, but I'm getting skunked.  (Wow, two bad fishing puns on one sentence.  Sorry!)

Does anyone know anything about this story?  Can anyone help me find this fish?