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Post by scrub-buster on Sept 19, 2011 10:45:20 GMT -5
A buddy asked me if I wanted to go cat fishing with him last night in a big farm pond. I haven't fished in a farm pond for years, so I was excited to go. We got started at 8:00. It was an hour later and my buddy caught a small catfish. A little while later I started getting a bite. I was holding the pole and I felt a gentle pull. I set the hook and started reeling it in. I knew it was a decent fish, but it wasn't really fighting too hard. But as soon as I got it near the bank, it woke up and took off. I had to fight it for a while to get it back to the bank. We pulled it out and just stood there looking at it. It is by far the biggest fish I have ever caught. We didn't have any scales to weigh it, but we did measure it. It was 47 1/2" long and 21" around the middle. We cleaned it and split the meat. For a little perspective, I am 5'6" and 230 lbs  |
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Post by featherduster on Sept 19, 2011 11:27:46 GMT -5
Nothing more exciting in my book than landing a big cat.
Congratulations!
What did you use for bait?
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Post by scrub-buster on Sept 19, 2011 11:50:16 GMT -5
A piece of chicken liver and a piece of freezer burnt deer meat on the same hook.
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Post by duff on Sept 19, 2011 12:10:38 GMT -5
Maybe a State record channel cat you just ate! I think the record is around 29 pounds!
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Post by Decatur on Sept 19, 2011 12:33:31 GMT -5
Cool!
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Post by scrub-buster on Sept 19, 2011 12:49:46 GMT -5
I just looked it up. State record is 38 lbs. I found a measurement calculator online and it estimated the weight at around 30 lbs. I haven't ate it yet. I'm taking the meat to work tomorrow night and we are going to have a fish fry at lunch time.
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Post by throbak on Sept 19, 2011 13:05:38 GMT -5
37# 8oz st. record
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Post by duff on Sept 19, 2011 21:04:10 GMT -5
That's right. I knew it was up there. 30# chanel cat is pretty rare. Fish of the year at any rate! Pretty awsome cat.
Good job!
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Post by dawnpatrol on Sept 20, 2011 6:28:29 GMT -5
that is huge....congrats!
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whiteman
Junior Member
Fish On!!
Posts: 44
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Post by whiteman on Sept 20, 2011 19:25:35 GMT -5
Is that a blue or channel? Nice fish!! Congrats!
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Post by scrub-buster on Sept 20, 2011 19:27:07 GMT -5
That is a channel Cat.
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Post by esshup on Sept 23, 2011 23:24:46 GMT -5
Are you positive? On a Channel Cat, the anal fin is rounded, and on a Blue it's straight. That fish in the picture looks like the anal fin is straight....... The relative weight chart that I looked at said that at 47.5" it should weigh 49.52#. State record fish if it was a channel cat......... |
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Post by scrub-buster on Sept 24, 2011 16:21:09 GMT -5
I'm not a fish ID expert by any means, but I think it is a channel cat. That is what the guy I was fishing with said it was also. It was brown with some small black speckles on its sides. I am pretty sure that is the only kind of catfish that was stocked in that pond. I will double check with the guy that owns the pond the next time I go there.
I have checked a couple of measurement conversion charts and they were all around 30 lbs. I know it didn't weigh 47 lbs.
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Post by fowlhunter on Sept 24, 2011 18:49:01 GMT -5
Do a google search for a bluecat and channel cat and look at the difference between the anal fins as esshup said bluecat is straight channel is rounded.
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Post by duff on Sept 24, 2011 19:52:27 GMT -5
Looks like a big ol channel to me. I am sure it was tasty!
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Post by scrub-buster on Sept 24, 2011 20:03:57 GMT -5
It was very tasty!
I'm not real worried about what kind of catfish it was. It might be a blue, heck, I don't know. I don't even know what an anal fin is. I like to fish for fun and relaxation. My biggest catfish before that one was probably around 5 lbs.
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Post by esshup on Sept 24, 2011 22:58:40 GMT -5
Scrub-buster, the anal fin is the fin right in front of the tail on the bottom. The small fin on top in front of the tail is an adipose fin. Bigger Blues also get a hump right behind their head. I think I see one on yours. Sometines fish get mixed up when buying them from a hatchery or stocking truck. I know of a guy that bought, paid for and stocked 200 Channels in his pond but could only catch Brown Bullheads. He wasn't happy......... In any case, that's a heck of a catfish! I've caught a channel in my pond at 34.5" and 16#. I tagged it and put it back in the pond.  See how the anal fin is rounded on this one?  |
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