Cattails are readily found near water all over North America--I originally started to write this as an article on the value of these as a bait source.- A tiny grub lives in the nodes of cattail stalks and makes an excellent bait for panfish-- I used to cut about 4 or 5 inches on either side of the node, bundle up a bunch, and would have panfish bait for weeks. I also used the fuzz as a thickening agent for home made cheese baits, stink baits, and dough balls, Makes it harder for the fish to nibble off a hook.  I  have also used them for torches. However, I started doing some research, and found out that this plant can be your go to as a food source and so much more--- I won't be all inclusive here, but Google-  cattails survival and/or cattails fishing and you can find tons of uses. Here is just one video which shows how cattails can provide 4 out of 5 survival needs-- There are more uses elsewhere on the web.