04-16-2013, 03:12 PM
Interestingly enough, the world record flathead and blue catfish came pretty recently.
The Blue Cat record (which stood at 111 pounds from 1996) has been broken a few times in the past decade, first a 124 pounder, then a 130lb fish, now a 143lb fish. Biologists think that there will be a new record caught soon that weighs over 150lbs.
Tim Pruitt's 124 pound blue
[inline giant_catfish.jpg]
The 143 pound new record
[inline virginia-world-record-blue-catfish-1_thumb.gif]
The old flathead record was only 92 lbs, caught in 1995. There had been reports of fish over 100 pounds, but it was the 123 pounder that took the books in 1998.
Fisheries Biologists think that lower limits, slot limits and angler conservation is helping these giant fish reach weights that haven't been seen since the 1800's and early 1900's.
I personally don't think the Colorado River is capable of producing a fish near that 100 lb mark due to forage limitations, but catching a fish over 50lbs is definitely a reality further south on the river, and even in Havasu.
[signature]
The Blue Cat record (which stood at 111 pounds from 1996) has been broken a few times in the past decade, first a 124 pounder, then a 130lb fish, now a 143lb fish. Biologists think that there will be a new record caught soon that weighs over 150lbs.
Tim Pruitt's 124 pound blue
[inline giant_catfish.jpg]
The 143 pound new record
[inline virginia-world-record-blue-catfish-1_thumb.gif]
The old flathead record was only 92 lbs, caught in 1995. There had been reports of fish over 100 pounds, but it was the 123 pounder that took the books in 1998.
Fisheries Biologists think that lower limits, slot limits and angler conservation is helping these giant fish reach weights that haven't been seen since the 1800's and early 1900's.
I personally don't think the Colorado River is capable of producing a fish near that 100 lb mark due to forage limitations, but catching a fish over 50lbs is definitely a reality further south on the river, and even in Havasu.
[signature]