In Sunday’s outdoors story about the ongoing search for northern snakehead fish in Arkansas, I mentioned that conservation officials unearthed a critter known as an “amphiuma.”

Since then, I’ve had several calls and emails from people wondering what the heck an amphiuma is.

Actually, they’re pretty hard to describe.

To me, they seem to be part snake, part eel, part salamander, part fish and part mutant creature from another planet.

Amphiumas are the largest amphibians found in Arkansas.

Sometimes referred to as “Congo eels” or “Congo snakes,” amphiumas have elongated bodies and stubby little legs that don’t serve much purpose on land. They have a snake-like physique and sometimes reach lengths of 3-4 feet. But they’re thicker than snakes, kind of like freshwater eels.

According to Lee Holt, a fisheries biologist with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, they spend most their time walking around on the bottom of lakes and streams. That’s why a lot of people have never seen one. They eat pretty much anything they can catch, including frogs, snakes, fish, crustaceans and insects.

They’re creepy looking critters - and if I came across one while wading, I probably wouldn’t be comforted by the knowledge that they’re completely non-venomous and pose no real threat to humans.

Just in case this description doesn’t paint the picture for you, I’ve included an actual picture of Lee Holt holding the one they found last week near Brinkley, Ark.

BASS officials announced Tuesday that the Bassmaster Elite Series’ River Rumble, originally scheduled for June 26-29 on the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa, has been relocated due to unsafe river conditions.

The new site for the event will be Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tenn., just three hours from Memphis. But if you’re a local tournament angler hoping to land a spot as a non-boater, you’re out of luck.

Despite the urgent relocation of the event, the co-angler slots filled up quickly. There’s already a waiting list of about 70 fishermen on the co-angler side.

For those who don’t know, Elite Series tournaments feature some of the top names in professional bass fishing - guys like Michael Iaconelli, Gerald Swindle and Kevin VanDam. Those guys are paired each day by random draw with amateur anglers (known as co-anglers) who have no control over the boat.

It’s often a good opportunity to learn from the most polished anglers in the business. But unless you’re already registered, you won’t get that chance on Old Hickory.

Sorry, guys and gals.

If you’re merely interested in following the event, daily weigh-ins will be broadcast at Bassmaster.com. The tournament has been renamed the “Tennessee Triumph.”

Old Hickory, which has hosted BASS events seven times during the organization’s 40-year history, will also host a Women’s Bassmaster Tour event this week, Thursday-Saturday.

Weigh-ins for the women’s event will also be broadcast live online.