River Monsters

[Mudfish]

I've heard from a DNR guy in Florida that worked in Ohio for a few years. He claims 5' and 6' cats in the Ohio and (he never saw one) but his co-workers claimed sharks were in the Ohio!

[BASSKING]

i would imagine that the conditions would have to be perfect for a bull shark to survive in one the pools on the ohio. from what i remember they do like murkie water but could they stand to live in cold muddy water like we have on the ohio for 6-7 months out of the year. after the locks and dams up north on the river start to rise and push all of the cooler muddier water twords us wouldnt the shark have to migrate closer to the gulf? that would be something though to catch a shark in Ky / In. i always think of things like this when wading and i usualyy dont wade unless 200 people ae down there doing the same. lol im not getting eaten alone!!!

[JD7.62]

Sharks would be very rare but possible, they cant live indefinately in fresh water.

Five foot cats I believe are definately possible. The two previous world records were both 4'10" in length for blues. I believe the flatheads were longer. There are accounts of fish approaching 150lbs caught by commercial fisherman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but there is no solid proof of fish of that size. We all know how fish seem to grow after being caught.

What about alligator gars? They are several confirmed fish in the 9-10ft range! That is just amazing to me.

With the improving conditions of America's large rivers I think its only a matter of time before another all tackle record is taken and it could be in our own back yard. An interesting note, I have a friend that is a fisheries biologist who once did a small sampling of large cats inthe 50lb range. They found drum approaching 5lbs in their stomachs so maybe instead of using large shad for bait some one needs to get a giant hook and fidsh a live drum! It doesnt take "that" big of a flathead or blue to **** down a 2lb drum and maybe that real monster just turns up its nose when a bite sized shad drifts by. Hehe Another interesting note, bullhead catfish make up a large percentage of an adult flathead's diet, any one ever use those for bait (if legal)?

[BASSKING]

i think i know someone who already uses carp, buffalo for bait i think we have alot bigger catfish swimming in the river then we think.

my cousin's father-in-law used to train with the louisville search and rescue they would do their exercices on the river 15-20 years ago. and like said befor a camera was used to record their exercices and for safety reasons. while doing a dive exercise on the ohio in louisville he claimed to see several blues or flatheads that had mouths that were up to 2 1/2 feet wide and eyes as big as baseballs. with that said i dont know how you would estimate the size of the fish but he said it definently felt erie swimming around something that could possibly swallow your leg.

[riverrat12]

Sharks would be very rare but possible, they cant live indefinately in fresh water.

Five foot cats I believe are definately possible. The two previous world records were both 4'10" in length for blues. I believe the flatheads were longer. There are accounts of fish approaching 150lbs caught by commercial fisherman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but there is no solid proof of fish of that size. We all know how fish seem to grow after being caught.

What about alligator gars? They are several confirmed fish in the 9-10ft range! That is just amazing to me.

With the improving conditions of America's large rivers I think its only a matter of time before another all tackle record is taken and it could be in our own back yard. An interesting note, I have a friend that is a fisheries biologist who once did a small sampling of large cats inthe 50lb range. They found drum approaching 5lbs in their stomachs so maybe instead of using large shad for bait some one needs to get a giant hook and fidsh a live drum! It doesnt take "that" big of a flathead or blue to **** down a 2lb drum and maybe that real monster just turns up its nose when a bite sized shad drifts by. Hehe Another interesting note, bullhead catfish make up a large percentage of an adult flathead's diet, any one ever use those for bait (if legal)?

My 80# flat was 58inchs long so a 5 or 6 ft cat is no problem (pic on the first page of my photo album). I also had a 79 1/2# blue blow out a buffalo that was every bit of 3 and maybe 4#s and boy did it stink up my tank,probably been in him for a while. I use some very big bait and have been laughed at by some other fishermen I know, one said what you going to catch with that Moby ****...My reply was if he comes up in here.LOL As far as gar go...I'll just say I've seen some monsters in the river..Chuck

[jcb]

http://www.snopes.com/critters/lurkers/catfish.asp