Giant Catfish

[TxSkawzall]

Do any of yall know anyone who has ever done repairs/maintenence/etc. on dams here in Texas, and has supposedly seen 200lb+ catfish?

I have heard of mansfield dam housing some big catfish.

How much truth is there to this myth, in Texas?

If anyone knows anything, let me know. I want to document these fish, if they exist.

BTW, I am new to this board, and thought it was badass that there is a Texas Swamp Divers Section.

 

[TwoTanks]

Welcome to Scubaboard

This is a great place to find info on all things diving.

I don't know about catfish in texas but here is the record holder as of yesterday

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8404622/?GT1=6657

TT

 

[Debraw]

Holy Fish Fins Batman!!!!!! That Catfish is UNREAL!!!! Could you imagine diving along and running into that? Gosh even a 200# one in a Texas lake, low vis, low light and BOOM there it is!!!! Yikes :11:

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Welcome to the boards.

I have heard many of the same stories you have. I have never encountered such a fish. It would be my belief that to find these catfish, you would need to look in the river channel. For Travis, that can get deep.

TwoBit

 

[cjames]

I've also heard the stories, but I've never seen anything that big down there. Also, if anybody says they have, I resort to the old addage - the fish story isn't real until you show me the fish or have pictures...

 

[Dee]

All the 'big enought to eat a man' catfish stories I've heard report them being found at the base of dams where alot of 'food' ends up. Biggest one I've ever seen with my own eyes was when I was a kid, about 40 years ago. A friends of my Dad's caught a blue channel cat in the San Jacinto River on a trot line that weighed over 150#.

 

[cjames]

Dee,

Have you ever seen pictures? I've also been told that they congregate near the dam inlets, but the couple of times I dove there, I didn't see anything real big.

 

[tx.lakerats]

welcome to the "texas" board!!

 

[Dee]

Dee,

Have you ever seen pictures? I've also been told that they congregate near the dam inlets, but the couple of times I dove there, I didn't see anything real big.

I've seen lots of pics of catfish in the 50-75# range. I'll never forget the site of that big one! As a 11 year old kids, it was bigger than I was!

There is a site, I've seen links to it around here, of some guys in Louisiana (I think) who catch big cats with their hands. Lots of pictures of them but they aren't as big as what you're talking about.

 

[freshwaterdiver]

Cjames

you and I are on the same tract... I think.. I have heard the stories and talk to poeple who know people that say that they have seen the "Big One". I have even dove with a guy that says he came face to face with a huge cat in Travis.

Cjames if we get the "photo club" together that would be one of the first things I would want to do... document document document..