I'm a bass fisherman, so don't stop reading when I start by mentioning catfish. My question is about Largemouth Bass. I've heard some catfish anglers recommend releasing giant catfish when they are caught so the ecological balance of that part of the lake or river won't be disturbed. (The catfish and carp guy recommends this.)But, as I said, this recommendation came from catfish anglers who want to keep catching big catfish. It seems to me that the diet of catfish and bass, while not identical, are very similar. I'm thinking of a particular area that I think is prime habitat for both bass and catfish. I was fishing for bass, but hooked something much larger. It was no log or rock. While I was NOT cranking the reel, my pole bent over like a shark hit it. When I set the hook, I couldn't budge it. OK, I admit it, I broke my 12 pound line without moving the fish one inch. In my mind, perhaps this was an 80 or 100 pound catfish. I remember the location exactly, and will return when mama catfish are filled with eggs because, even though I'm after bass, I would be thrilled to catch a hundred pound catfish. Here's my question. If I indeed catch a huge catfish, should I keep it or release it since my real goal is to catch a huge largemouth bass? It seems that a hundred pound catfish must be eating an enormous amount of bass food that I would prefer the area bass would eat. Or would it make little difference to the nearby bass? Richard E
