Now that is what I call a Catfish!!!(picture)

Ty · 02-10-2004, 06:30 PM

New state record catfish. 140 lbs. caught in Lake Texoma, Oklahama. The largest earthen damn in North America on the Red River.

Record blue catfish!

[ 02-10-2004, 07:33 PM: Message edited by: Ty ]

glowball · 02-10-2004, 06:31 PM

Holy smokes. That can't be real. That's huge.

Raven1 · 02-10-2004, 06:33 PM

How much beer batter would be required for this fish?

The Overfishin Condition · 02-10-2004, 06:34 PM

What's scarier is by the looks of it, it appears they probably got him noodling, which means they would've had to shove their hand down his throat! :shocked: :shocked:

blacktail519 · 02-10-2004, 06:35 PM

:shocked: WOW :shocked:

Chromaflage · 02-10-2004, 06:36 PM

:shocked: That leader is thicker than my anchor rope!

ORS

5-Cents · 02-10-2004, 06:38 PM

:shocked: Holy Shnikes :shocked:

maxcat27 · 02-10-2004, 06:41 PM

daaaaammmmnnn [img]graemlins/lurk.gif[/img]

little hunter · 02-10-2004, 07:34 PM

i wonder what type of bait they used for that one!!!!!!!!

pearl · 02-10-2004, 07:57 PM

Think they noodled it ? :grin:

SilverFly · 02-10-2004, 07:58 PM

:shocked: Yikes!!! That can't be a blue cat it's too big! In fact it looks like a European catfish called a "Wels" which has a long, eel-like anal fin with a very small tail, and a tiny (or no?) dorsal. Supposedly they can grow to 900lbs!!! I'm probably wrong (it happens) but I think that's what it is. Maybe they transplanted some here in the states. Thanks for posting this Ty, -very interesting!

Correction: The record Wels catfish was 16ft and ONLY weighed 674lbs, not 900!

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[ 02-11-2004, 08:02 AM: Message edited by: SilverFly ]

fishnpray · 02-10-2004, 07:59 PM

Insanity. That thing could swallow me. Sweeet.

Luis

Maddie'sDaddy · 02-10-2004, 08:02 PM

:shocked: :shocked: That noodleing ( We might need a spell check on that one)Stuff is pretty crazy stuff. I had a friend who lived down there and he used to tell some pretty graphic stories about noodleing. You must be half crazy to do that kinda fishing. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

steelheadslayer · 02-10-2004, 08:25 PM

:shocked: :shocked: [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

Freakwater · 02-10-2004, 08:36 PM

That would be a new world record if caught on a rod. Poking around the net, I found that the world record on rod was caught on Jan 16, 2004 in the same lake (121.5 lbs.). That fish looked smaller than this one, and is actually still alive and kept in an aquarium in Athens, TX. Apparently it will be released back to Lake Texoma.

I couldn't find a pic of this fish on the web. Where did you find it, Ty? When and how was it caught?

Freak

Wood N' Fish · 02-10-2004, 08:44 PM

that's better than the 1930 ish advertisement for a "diesel powered organ!" Wow, WHAT A FISH!
Pass the Hush Puppies dear! :grin:

Blazerboy · 02-10-2004, 09:10 PM

That is the coolest thing I have seen all day

happybrew · 02-10-2004, 09:12 PM

YOW!! :shocked:

Do they post warnings on that lake not to let small children swim???

happybrew

jokester · 02-10-2004, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Think they noodled it?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I'm thinking a little power bait using 6lb test on their trout rods!

Hey...it can be done. Just loosen the drag a little more and play him out :grin:

-jokester

Tacklebuster · 02-10-2004, 10:49 PM

That's a shame :depressed: You know fish like that are very few and far between. Too bad his or her genes are gone from the breeding pool :depressed:

That is a blue cat. I cut my teeth catching blue and channel cat down in Alabama.

Ty · 02-10-2004, 11:14 PM

Tackle buster, I don't think they killed it. I can't find more info on this particular one.

There was a 121 pounder caught from the same lake and they didn't kill it.

It sure would eb a shame if they did kill it though.

kayakfisher · 02-10-2004, 11:41 PM

The only way that was a noodle catch is if there were three fisherman...

So how old would this size catfish be?

m.

SilverFly · 02-10-2004, 11:48 PM

Tacklebuster, - I stand corrected. I've only caught a few decent sized channels and maybe 1 blue cat of about 10lbs in Arizona so I don't know what a really big blue looks like. But if anyone is interested in what a Wels catfish looks like check out the picture gallery on this European Catfish site.

http://xvella.online.fr/photos-eng.php

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[ 02-11-2004, 02:21 AM: Message edited by: SilverFly ]

SilverFly · 02-11-2004, 12:52 AM

[ 02-11-2004, 04:51 AM: Message edited by: SilverFly ]

Ty · 02-11-2004, 03:07 AM

MMMMM... Sorry silvery Fly, It's a Blue cat, here is a all tackle record from the same lake that was 121 pounds!

http://www.texassportfishing.com/121.htm

I can't find an article about this particular Cat?

SilverFly · 02-11-2004, 03:55 AM

Guess you're right Ty, it just looked weird in the pic. Those Euro-cats are pretty damn scary though!

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Correction:

You're absolutely correct that the 121lb fish IS a bluecat. That fish appears to have roughly the right # of anal fin rays (30 -36), it has a substantial dorsal fin, a large forked tail, an adipose fin, and it is actually blue, - all identifying features of bluecatfish.

All I can say is look closely at the 140lb fish. I count at least 25 anal fin rays on less than half the anal fin! It has no adipose fin that I can see, a tiny unforked tail, and a very small dorsal fin compared to the "true" blue. And last, it is not blue but a mottled brown more like a flathead (it's definitely NOT a flathead.) Then check out the fish on the link I posted. It's chock full of 140lb+ fish that look just like that thing.

Now go back and look at the 121lb blue.

I know it sounds unlikely, but it wouldn't be the first time an exotic species was illegally planted. I'm probably wrong, but if that thing is a bluecat it's a mutant!

[ 02-11-2004, 08:35 AM: Message edited by: SilverFly ]

Smj · 02-11-2004, 05:55 AM

From my limited experience, I don't think cats that big eat too well. Just think of the muddy taste that has built up in that thing durring it's lifetime. Yuck!

Smj

SPAZZ · 02-11-2004, 06:30 AM

:shocked:

Cosmic Lazy Susan · 02-11-2004, 06:49 AM

Yow! :shocked:

Ok, what's 'Noodling'? [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

Dale

Highlander3 · 02-11-2004, 06:58 AM

Noodling is fishing with your bare hands. A person searches under water with there hands and sometimes there feet to find were the cat's are at and then the fish will suck your hand arm ect.. in it's mouth. the person pulls them up If they can

Twitchs_Tackle · 02-11-2004, 07:00 AM

:shocked: :shocked: Note To Self: Don't swim in Lake Texoma... [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

SHOUGALNITE · 02-11-2004, 07:02 AM

:shocked:

hookumhi · 02-11-2004, 07:31 AM

I heard those guys those guys heard the fish say something when it came outa the water(AFLAC)

6wapiti6 · 02-11-2004, 07:45 AM

There is an article on espn outdoors about this fish. The fish was not killed, it was actually donated to a local aquarium to be put on display. Kind of like the sturgeon up at the bonneville hatchery.

Red Green · 02-11-2004, 08:34 AM

Is this the same world record fish??

ESPN Article

Because if it is, then that picture in the above post is a great photoshop picture. . . .

Freakwater · 02-11-2004, 08:35 AM

Looks to me like a different fish.

bucketmouth · 02-11-2004, 10:12 AM

Now thats the kind of cat Id like to pull out of the Snake River!!!

YaHoeeFishOn · 02-11-2004, 10:45 AM

January 20th One Field Service guys in my Dallas Office mailed me this artical from the Star .

Feb 2 , Another engineer in Dallas sent the Espn artical to me. DENISON, Texas � Don't skinny-dip in Texoma!

Looks like that lake has some large cats in it. Alot articals said they only eat 20lbrs and let big ones go . That one was kept alive and is in
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center's popular aquarium.

Texas News

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Posted on Sun, Jan. 18, 2004

Newspaper: Man catches 121-pound blue catfish
Associated Press

SHERMAN, Texas - It's a whale of a tale, and an angler produced a 121-pound catfish to back it up.

Cody Mullennix, 27, of Howe, was fishing from a bank on the Texas side of Lake Texoma Friday when his rod and reel went down, the Herald Democrat (Sherman-Denison) reported in Monday editions.

After a 20-minute struggle, he was able to land the 60-inch long blue catfish. He needed help from longtime angling buddy Jason Holbrook to weigh the fish.

"I was out there by myself and we didn't have any scales beside a 50-pound set," Mullennix said. "Jason brought a 100-pound set of scales. This fish bottomed those scales before we ever even got the fish off the ground."

Officials say it's one of the largest caught in Texas.

After getting an accurate weight of the fish, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens transported the fish back to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department facility to be put on display.

Hagen · 02-11-2004, 10:48 AM

:shocked: :shocked: After having raised catfish and dealing with broodstock of 30 to 50 pounds that fish is absolutly HUGE. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Sublime · 02-11-2004, 12:05 PM

Aye Carumba! :shocked: :shocked:

CohoClint · 02-11-2004, 01:04 PM

:shocked:

texas bass · 02-11-2004, 08:30 PM

Holy doo-doo catman

02-11-2004, 09:18 PM

Jen, you need to take up contributions to buy us a private lake or big farm pond somewhere, stock it with channel cats and crappie, then open a IFISH catfish and crappie "pay" lake. :smile:

Venture capitol anyone? 5 Cents? I would go fish all night with my lantern and chair, one rod for channel cats and one bobber and jig rod for crappie. Talk about fun and good eating.

:grin:

7000 plus members at a 100 bucks a "share." Hmmm.....

corrirod · 02-11-2004, 11:32 PM

That first pic sure looks bigger than 140 lbs.!

Hopefully they'll put it in the fisheries museum as well.

Here's the link to the museum, and yes they do have the 121 pounder.

Texas Freshwater Fisheries Museum

hawgcatcher · 02-12-2004, 06:55 AM

Wife's uncle is an outlaw noodler in Oklahoma. He has pictures of cats up to 65 pounds that he got that way. He fishes the Neosho River that is muddier then our rivers after a storm and that is all the time.

He dives down and works along the mud banks until he finds a hole or a root hole. Then he slowly reaches in and feels for a fish. If he finds one, he reached in and when the fish opens his mouth, he sticks his arm in and grabs the gills and pulls it out.

He tells of one time where the big cat took off downstream for near a half mile dragging him. He couldn't get his arm out.

He also said that you have got to be careful of snapping turtles that have a tendency to eat hands and fingers. Crunch!

Another problem is occasionally you reach in and find a water moccasin nest full of snakes. People have been bitten doing this.

After all his telling me of this, he asked if I would like to try it. At that time I stated that I would rather eat worms and the only catfish I would catch, would be on a hook and line. At least in Oregon, the fishing is not so deadly.