Whopper Catfish

[MDM]

Thought I'd share my weekend catch. These are what I fish for exclusively and I caught this 57 pounder on my first trip out on Sunday night. I turned it loose after the photo op.

 

[weldingisfun]

Now that's a catfish. You could have fed everyone subscribing to TBN off of that one, but you would have gone broke buying the corn meal to make all the hush puppies to go along with it. .

 

[Bird]

So how did you catch it? Rod & reel, trotline, grappling, or noodling? And why turn it loose? Looks like lots of good eating there.

 

[dmccarty]

The fish is impressive....

But that litty cute girl standing to the side bored with it all is the best catch of all.

She does not seem impressed.

I can just hear my daughters comments if I had caught a fish like yours, "So what." Now my youngest would want to take it home and put it in a fish bowl.

Later,
Dan

 

[MDM]

So how did you catch it? Rod & reel, trotline, grappling, or noodling? And why turn it loose? Looks like lots of good eating there.

Hi Bird. Rod and reel with live bluegill for bait. I released him cause I'm still young and one day, he may turn into a state record(76lbs). Maybe I will see him again someday. I will only clean 1 Flathead per year. The next one I catch in the 35lb and under range will go in the freezer. Gotta let them big boys get even bigger.
My daughter wasn't to excited because she just woke up. I caught it at 3:30 am, so I had to wait till first light for pics. I'm getting a replica made since this my be a once in a lifetime fish.

 

[EddieWalker]

MDM,

Congrats on the awesome catch!!!!!!

I commend you on letting it go and letting it live another day. I've cought two marlins that I did the same thing with. It's a thrill catching them, and a nice feeling to see them swim away. My biggest bass weighed 12lbs and after taking a few pictures, I let it go. Hopefully somebody else had the same thrill of catching her, or she has passed on her genes to future generations.

I also comend you on your replica mount. I'm a pretty big fan of taxidermy and know that there is no method of treating or tanning fish hides. If the real fish is used, the oils will never stop bleeding out and make for an ugly mount. My marlin and bass are both replicas of the ones I cought, and were painted based on the pictures that I provided. They look as good today as the day they were painted. Just be sure to find a taxidermist who specializes in fish and knows how to paint them.

Thank you for sharing,
Eddie

 

[LMTC]

David---where? They like deep, still water, don't they? And yes, very impressive.

 

[MDM]

Wayne, I'll just say it was at an MWCD lake. A guy caught a 65lb Flathead in the same exact spot the night before. Flatheads cruise the shallows at night looking for a meal. I caught this one at 3:30 in the morning in about 4 feet of water. They usually hold up in deep holes and stucture during the day, but I did catch a 35 lb Flat at noon a few years ago. I'm still after the state record.

 

[jinman]

It looks like that "ship" has barnacles on it's keel.

Nice catch!

 

[ByronBob]

It's funny because you live near NY but nothing is this big around here. I would have been scared to reel that in the boat in the middle of the night.

That thing could eat your little girl.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

MDM,

That's a fine catch on rod and reel. Releasing one that size is the right thing to do, IMO for several reasons, not the least of which is that flatheads that size really don't taste as good as smaller ones. Lots of strong tasting fat in the meat. That fish was probably as old as you...nice going.

 

[LMTC]

Wayne, I'll just say it was at an MWCD lake. A guy caught a 65lb Flathead in the same exact spot the night before. Flatheads cruise the shallows at night looking for a meal. I caught this one at 3:30 in the morning in about 4 feet of water. They usually hold up in deep holes and stucture during the day, but I did catch a 35 lb Flat at noon a few years ago. I'm still after the state record.

And I'll bet you think I won't know what that is. My son just graduated from Muskingum College, major in geology, and his senior independent project had to do with groundwater changes in certain areas of the MWCD, specifically the North Crooked Creek watershed. In fact, his project was accepted for presentation at the annual GSA conference in Evansville last month.

 

[MDM]

I never doubted you Wayne. I know you are familiar with this area a little bit. That is really cool about you son. Geology is what I originally started out in. I don't know how I ended up in multimedia.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Congrats on a great catch...

And a bigger congrats for turning him loose. It will grow on you!

 

[rox]

And I'll bet you think I won't know what that is. My son just graduated from Muskingum College, major in geology, and his senior independent project had to do with groundwater changes in certain areas of the MWCD, specifically the North Crooked Creek watershed. In fact, his project was accepted for presentation at the annual GSA conference in Evansville last month.

Wayn, I read your son's paper. I really commend him for doing and undergraduate research project, was it optional? My daughter did one also, it she got a lot out of it, especailly rewarding was when she presented. My daughters project was to survey all the park and rec departments in Wisconsin and inquire as to what park and rec programs they had for persons with disabilites. She got very good feedback and several park and rec departments from small communities said that they had not really thought about it before, but because they were surveyed on it they were going to begin a proecess of creating programs for persons with disabilites in thier community.

I didn't understand the details of your son's project but I did get the overall point he was maiking. I hope that he forwards his research on to organizations, especially envirnonmental organizations in the affected area. Even the neighbors would probably liek to see his report. That really does finish a project dissimanting the information. I think these undergrad research projects are very valuable. Congrats to your son!

 

[LMTC]

Wayn, I read your son's paper. I really commend him for doing and undergraduate research project, was it optional? My daughter did one also, it she got a lot out of it, especailly rewarding was when she presented. My daughters project was to survey all the park and rec departments in Wisconsin and inquire as to what park and rec programs they had for persons with disabilites. She got very good feedback and several park and rec departments from small communities said that they had not really thought about it before, but because they were surveyed on it they were going to begin a proecess of creating programs for persons with disabilites in thier community.

I didn't understand the details of your son's project but I did get the overall point he was maiking. I hope that he forwards his research on to organizations, especially envirnonmental organizations in the affected area. Even the neighbors would probably liek to see his report. That really does finish a project dissimanting the information. I think these undergrad research projects are very valuable. Congrats to your son!

Thanks. All I know is that he likes rocks. He is currently in Wyoming for a field camp he has to attend to complete his degree.