Massive State Record Blue Catfish Caught In Florida

[aceman387]

http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2015/06/04/massive-state-record-blue-catfish-ca

[flyfisher]

that's just a baby....I know here in VA people don't even get excited till they are approaching triple digits.  you would think with the long growing season down there that they would have some huge ones

[Fisher-O-men]

Shame it had to die!

[MDBowHunter]

Shame it had to die!

Since it's an invasive species that's what they want done with them, same here in MD.

[Fisher-O-men]

Since it's an invasive species that's what they want done with them, same here in MD.

Very few non-invasive fish.

[MassBass]

did he noodle that one?

[FloridaBasser1]

Shame it had to die!

oh well, Fish that old don't live forever! It's gona die one way or the other, i guess eating it (I hope) is better than dying at the bottom of the river,

[heyitskirby]

Very few non-invasive fish.

In VA they have been talking about making it a catch and kill like I would assume they have in MD.  The problem they are finding is that the fish are getting further and further into the Chesapeake Bay and eating blue crab.  Blue crab is a big deal around here and more important than a fish you can catch in very large numbers no problem.  

 

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that out of the Chesapeake Bay tributaries the James River was the only one they were stocked in in the mid-70's and they have managed to make their way into every tributary since then.

 

Sometimes you have to rethink your stocking plan - take Stripers in most lakes in America.  Gizzard Shad were stocked for largemouth and ending up competing with small bass for food.  Stripers were found to survive in dammed lakes.  Stripers were then stocked to eat Gizzard Shad to lower their numbers to increase largemouth population.  Has created a heck of a fishery for many people who like chasing landlocked Stripers.

[Fisher-O-men]

In VA they have been talking about making it a catch and kill like I would assume they have in MD.  The problem they are finding is that the fish are getting further and further into the Chesapeake Bay and eating blue crab.  Blue crab is a big deal around here and more important than a fish you can catch in very large numbers no problem.  

 

So can Blue Cats survive in brackish water or does the Blue Crab move to fresh?

[everythingthatswims]

So can Blue Cats survive in brackish water or does the Blue Crab move to fresh?

Both

[heyitskirby]

So can Blue Cats survive in brackish water or does the Blue Crab move to fresh?

Like everything said, both.  And if the cats are making it into the Bay they can do well in salt water, just don't know for how long.

[Crabcakes]

All information on the blue cats is correct. The more immediate concern than crabs is shad and river herring populations. The Potomac and James River blue cat fisheries are both excellent. So good that it is ecologically worrying. The sheer mass of catfish that wasn't there 20 years ago is amazing.

 

I've done about 400lbs in the boat during a 5-6 hour outing on our best day. Profile pic is of 58 of those lbs. 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

All information on the blue cats is correct. The more immediate concern than crabs is shad and river herring populations. The Potomac and James River blue cat fisheries are both excellent. So good that it is ecologically worrying. The sheer mass of catfish that wasn't there 20 years ago is amazing.

 

I've done about 400lbs in the boat during a 5-6 hour outing on our best day. Profile pic is of 58 of those lbs. 

Spot on. In the last few years the number of blue cats I catch when targetting smallmouth has risen to the point that it's almost 1/3 of what I catch in the DC area sometimes. I catch them anywhere from inches of water to 80' deep, and all on bass lures (plastics, jigs, crankbaits, topwaters... pretty much anything.) Most of the cats I catch are at least 5-6lbs, with 10-20lbers being not uncommon. My PB was caught on a dropshot. Not sure of the weight, but it bottomed out my 30lb Boga with ease. Probably 45-50lbs if I had to guess.

 

[VolFan]

What he said. Biggest freshwater fish I've ever caught was a Bue out of the Potomac near DC on a spinnerbait. Used to catch them within some regularity on swimbaits as well. They're big, voracious predators that handle temperature and salinity changes much much better than the other large predatory fish in the Potty. They are a hoot to catch, but they're multiplying quickly and out competing everything else.

[heyitskirby]

Spot on. In the last few years the number of blue cats I catch when targetting smallmouth has risen to the point that it's almost 1/3 of what I catch in the DC area sometimes. I catch them anywhere from inches of water to 80' deep, and all on bass lures (plastics, jigs, crankbaits, topwaters... pretty much anything.) Most of the cats I catch are at least 5-6lbs, with 10-20lbers being not uncommon. My PB was caught on a dropshot. Not sure of the weight, but it bottomed out my 30lb Boga with ease. Probably 45-50lbs if I had to guess.

 

 

When you bring up smallmouth, one of the biggest concerns upriver on the James is the flatheads.  While I believe they are natural to the area, they had decimated the smallmouth.  Most people I know who fish the upper James will kill any flathead they find whether they intend on eating it or not.

 

 

All information on the blue cats is correct. The more immediate concern than crabs is shad and river herring populations. The Potomac and James River blue cat fisheries are both excellent. So good that it is ecologically worrying. The sheer mass of catfish that wasn't there 20 years ago is amazing.

 

I've done about 400lbs in the boat during a 5-6 hour outing on our best day. Profile pic is of 58 of those lbs. 

I had not considered the shad population.  I always thought they biggest threat to them was people, especially with the resurgence in recent years due to conservation efforts.

[Crabcakes]

 

 

What he said. Biggest freshwater fish I've ever caught was a Bue out of the Potomac near DC on a spinnerbait. Used to catch them within some regularity on swimbaits as well. They're big, voracious predators that handle temperature and salinity changes much much better than the other large predatory fish in the Potty. They are a hoot to catch, but they're multiplying quickly and out competing everything else.

 

In regards to the temperature adaptability the one in my profile pic was caught the day after Christmas in about 37 degree water. Still hit very hard. 

[VolFan]

Yeah I caught my biggest in early March...water couldn't have been over 45 degrees.

[everythingthatswims]

If presented with the opportunity to catch blues on bass tackle with artificials or target bass while fishing one of the tidal rivers, I would probably end up targeting the cats.