Not quite big enough to break the state record, Richards said. The state record is 120 pounds caught near Tuscaloosa in 2012. Jorge Masullo de Aguiar currently holds the world record for the largest Lau-Lau (Piraiba), which is a species of catfish that is native to South America. Alabama's largest lake contains 69,100 acres and stretches 75 miles from Nickajack Dam to Guntersville Dam. Nearly all of these catfish are listed as the world record for their species in the International Game Fish Associations (IGFA) World Records Database. Freshwater Fishing Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. He catches some good ones in the spring - April through June - but always felt if he ever got a true monster it would be in the fall. They bit well for an hour and a half and I caught several that weighed in the 20s.. Nick is back in class, and the. Therefore, they can use their fins as a defense mechanism. Weighing must be witnessed by two people. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. We'd love to hear eyewitness GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. Whats the biggest fish youve ever caught? Largemouth bass in the 7 to 8 pound range are caught every year and bass up to and above 10 pounds are possible. Im about to be 60 and I told them it was going to have to happen pretty quick if it was going to happen, he said. We caught some really good largemouth bass: 7+ pounder, 6+ pounder, 5+ pounder, multiple 4+ pounders, and too m. While Masullo de Aguiar's Piraiba is the largest officially on record, in general, Piraiba can weigh over 450 pounds (204 kilograms). Keep pesky rodents outside where they belong. According to the Alabama Department of . We check for new photo additions every day and approve them. Were just calling it 101.. It sure was chilly on Lake Guntersville, Alabama, on Monday. Ive been coming up here to fish at Guntersville Dam since I was 12 years old and Im 59 now.. Their most recent catch was the night of Friday, March 17 St. Patricks Day. Youll always remember that moment, finally pulling it in the boat. Ferrari's Wels catfish weighed 280 pounds (127 kilograms) and was 8.75 feet (2.67 meters) long. When it comes to catfish the largest North American species is the blue catfish. Nichols caught his record-breaker on March 9, 2012. Bassett Creek, Wash. Co. The record blue catfish was caught in 2011 in Kerr Lake, Virginia by a man named Richard Nicholas Anderson. Mike was using a brand new rod and reel and in a new boat, so theyre no doubt now his lucky rod and lucky boat., My lifes goal in fishing has always been to catch a 100 pounder, he said. It got cloudy again at 1:00 and thats when the big one hit. We fished Lake Guntersville from March 17-20. access for current print subscribers. Class had just been dismissed at Collins Elementary School in Scottsboro. By Greg McCain Long known as one of the premier bass-fishing destinations, Lake Guntersville, a sprawling Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir in northwest Alabama, absolutely exudes fish-catching potential, covering 69,000 acres as the largest impoundment in the state. Blue catfish are typically in the 20-40 pound range with a trophy size being considered anything over 50 pounds. Their skin is nearly scaleless and they have barbed spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins. This giant South American catfish was also over 6.5 feet (2 meters) long. Anderson wanted to keep his blue catfish alive so that it could be put in a tank at a local Bass Pro Shops retail store. I knew there were some 100 pounders there.. He loves the feel of the strings and the sound of sweet chords. . He thinks it might have pushed the state record if he could have gotten it to a set of accurate scales a little quicker. Paulie was using a light tackle while he was crappie fishing and the flathead was a lucky catch. This lake has good fishing for channel catfish and blue catfish. When I am not writing I love going to my kids' soccer games, watching movies, taking on DIY projects and running with our giant Labradoodle "Tango". GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - One fisher caught a large catfish at Lake Guntersville. Large ones caught in Alabama usually fall in the 30-50 pound range. Share with Us. If youre looking to target a real big fish, try fishing for the blue catfish. In 2015, an Italian fisherman named Dino Ferrari was featured in international news for capturing a monster Wels catfish in the Po Delta. I graduated from the University of Minnesota-Morris with a degree in Elementary Education and I am a former teacher. Andrew Buck and Daniel Rice are part of the fishing group too. The Alabama River starts where the Tallapoosa and Coosa Rivers come together then passes through Selma which is about 50 miles west of Montgomery. With over 949 miles of shoreline, it is best known for excellent Largemouth Bass fishing, but also contains Black Crappie, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Striped Bass, White Bass, and several species of bream and catfish. I'm a Wildlife Conservation Author and Journalist, raising awareness about conservation by teaching others about the amazing animals we share the planet with. The Mekong giant catfish is rare and endangered and the one caught in 2005 was the largest ever caught since Thailand began keeping records in 1981. over 3,000 species of catfish around the world, catfish can range in size from 1.5 to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) to hundreds of pounds, people have questioned the legitimacy of Paulies catch, presented to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism in 2016 for further examination, Fernandes has over 100 IGFA world fishing records, Goonch catfish have reportedly been known to eat corpses, Piraiba is the largest of the catfish species found in the Amazon. KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. All of the catfish on this list are over 100 pounds (45.36 kilograms). They can get huge. Lake Guntersville is the home of some of the best bass fishing in the world. They kept him alive in some water, weighed him, then released the 89-pounder at Chickasaw Landing on Hobbs Island Road. Keep pesky rodents outside where they belong. Stephens estimated the fish was around 70 pounds. Although Ferrari's catch is impressive, unfortunately he was just shy of the world record for a Wels catfish catch, which weighed 297 pounds 9 ounces (134.97 kilograms). Now you have several tips to start (or continue) your effort to catch the next largest flathead catfish in Alabama! Free boat ramps and private marinas dot the lake's perimeter. The largest flathead catfish ever caught in the world was 123 pounds! Have you caught a big fish lately? Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. Best Catfish in Guntersville, Alabama: Find 1,046 Tripadvisor traveller reviews of THE BEST Catfish and search by price, location, and more. The products have a streamlined appearance that is excellent for any style. Armstrong Creek, Wash. Co. Henry Merritt, Deer Park Purchase Licenses Stephens was fishing on Sunday with a medium-weight spinning rod and reel. that is degrading to another person. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Lake Monsters: The 10 Biggest Trophy Fish Ever Caught in Alabama, Blue Catfish vs Channel Catfish: 5 Main Differences, The 10 Best Fish to Catch in Alabama this Summer, Catfish Quiz - Only The Top 1% Can Ace our Animal Quizzes, Discover The Largest Flathead Catfish Ever Caught in Louisiana, Blue Catfish vs Channel Catfish: 5 Key Differences, It Takes Two Men to Pull This River Monster Free, Discover The Largest Channel Catfish Ever Caught in Louisiana, Discover The Largest Blue Catfish Ever Caught in Missouri, Discover The Largest Flathead Catfish Ever Caught in Alabama. Promotional Rates were found for your code. The Goonch was caught in the River Ramganga in India. Lake Guntersville is the home of some of the best bass fishing in the world. His flathead measured 61 inches long which is 5 feet 1 inch. Its an adventure that Nick will always cherish an adventure of a lifetime. He said he didnt want to kill the fish and had no where to immediately get it weighed, so he let it go. Therefore, read on to find out about the largest flathead catfish ever caught in Alabama! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Flathead catfish are heavy-bodied that have a tail that tapers off. State fishing records are kept for the blue, flathead, channel, and white with the blue catfish being the largest catfish species in the state. The people from the nearby villagers didn't let the fish go to waste and ended up eating it. However, other than the official record listing on the International Game Fish Association's website, there wasn't enough information to feature the story of the record Wels catfish. The bait we used for this one was bigger than my hand, said Richards. Ferrari's sponsor did say that his catch may hold the world record for a fish caught with a Torpedo spinning rod made by an Italian manufacturer. Be Nice. Depending on the body of water, a lake may contain some big specimens as well as plenty of smaller ones, and the subspecies can be varied. Piraiba are so large that monkeys, cats, dogs, birds, and other catfish have been found in their stomachs. Not just where people fish but where they swim as well!. We use live bluegill as bait. In addition to the large Goonch, Vgner has caught several other large freshwater fish, including and 286.6 pound (130 kilogram) Arapaima and an 242.5 pound (110 kilogram) Wels catfish. The lower end of the lake is generally the most populated area, with several bass and catfish species as well as bluegill, crappie, perch, sauger, sunfish, and drum. Richards said its all about catch and release. Barkley Reservoir Micka Burkhart September 24, 2022 Class A Brown Bullhead Catfish 3 lbs., 15 oz. The Alabama River is quite the meandering river with many twists and turns, but Conner certainly found a lucky spot in the summer of 86. Fishing regulations at . Catfishing on Guntersville Lake today folks. . Procedures For the Certification of Alabama State Record Freshwater Fish, Shelley Meadows/Mentone The record for the largest Goonch ever caught belongs to Jakub Vgner, the host of National Geographic's Fish Warrior. Vgner's Goonch was 165 pounds 5 ounces (75 kilograms) and over 5 feet (1.57 meters) long. Officials from Thailand's Inland Fishery Department wanted to use the female Mekong giant catfish for a breeding program, but she ended up dying. The friend encouraged him and so did his brother. Mike Watts had been on a quest for years to catch a giant catfish. Zach Hester 10/28/2022. Depending on the species, catfish can range in size from 1.5 to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) to hundreds of pounds, like the behemoths on this list. Not quite. Crappie, however, is the top sport fish catch on the lake for most anglers. Like Comments |. Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code. KTVZ-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications |, Breaking News You have permission to edit this article. Wed love to see it. Michael Houseknecht/Mobile, Chris S. Fuller, AthensBobby Lee Davis, Bessemer, Paddlefish Fishing for Flathead Catfish today folks! They have protruding barbels that come off the face that looks like whiskers, which is how catfish get their name. One set said 106 before it broke, Mike said. Lake Guntersville does have good numbers of catfish available too. Freshwater drum. Hudson Simmons, a 10-year-old who weighs 62 pounds, landed a world-record-sized blue catfish that was nearly as big as him. What is the largest catfish ever caught in the United States? According to the CDC, adults in the United States drink an average of 44 ounces of water each day. Fish must be identified by a Fisheries Section biologist or other certified fisheries biologist. Application must be submitted on official application form . He and his friends have caught several monsters over the past few years. Mike Watts caught it below Guntersville Dam. Thanks! Some anglers have found excellent catfishing in the Tensaw River as well. Best Fishing Trips Nick is feeling good, and we assume the catfish is, too, after quite an adventure. I realized the size of fish that were below the dam and I started bait fishing and Ive been coming ever since, he said. It was five feet long and weighed 89 pounds. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Flatheads are typically next followed by channel cats and white. Thank you for reading! The second largest lake in Alabama, Wheeler spreads across 67,100 acres near Decatur and already produced two former state record blue cats each weighing more than 100 pounds. Redtail catfish are not picky eaters and in the wild tend to eat fish and crustaceans. There really isnt any more details about Fernandes catch, but he did use a fiberglass Sportex rod to land the redtail catfish. The guys, along with friends Andrew Buck and Daniel Rice, have caught several big catfish in recent years. Stephens said when it was all over, Nick's first words were, "Dad, that thing is huge! Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. It is a large lake and there are so many spots you can target largemouth bass here. Nick is back in class, and the catfish is back in the lake. Now is the time to mouse-proof where you live. Experts believe that this monster Mekong giant catfish is not only the largest catfish ever caught in the world, but the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. Check for new photo additions every day and approve them effort to catch the next largest flathead ever! They have barbed spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins of English in the States! 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