I don't know but while scuba diving years ago I have seen some huge catfish some approaching five feet long. I can't tell if they're cut and pasted them but it doesn't look like it. Wow.
they do something called doodleing... they put there arm in holes under the water and wiggle there fingers,, the cat sees this and grabs the hand/arm... then they wrestle the cat to the surface.
If you haven't seen it, it may be some of those 'fools' that get in the water and catch them from within pipes and/or 'trapping devices'. It involves reaching up inside and grabbing the cat by the lower jaw and pulling them out. If you haven't seen this on video, you wouldn't believe it.
It's actually called "noodling", but those aren't from North America. Those are Welsh cats from Europe. They are supposed to be very docile. There's NO way I'd hold a 50 pound live catfish from North America that way. I don't think it could be done in the water like that. A flathead or 50 pound bluecat would leave you with many war wounds from trying to snuggle up next to it.
But yes, that goofy little spam has been going around the internet for some time now.
Even on the Mississippi, where they grow 'em real big, the record blue cat is something like 149# (top picture) and the record flathead (bottom) is something like 96#..... If those pictures were real, they'd be wa-a-a-a-ay over that!
i'm kind of thinkin mike snow might be right as it looks more like the welsh or european cats i've seen pictures of as mike posted. no way i'd go noodling though i know some folks who do.
I remember seeing some Wells Catfish in and InFisherman Mag some years back. I guess they regularly get way up there weightwise. I wonder how many of those "Noodlers" have nicknames like "Stubbie" "Stumps""Nubs" etc.
WHAT would you have to be thinking to go doodling, noodling, oodling, WHATEVER with fish big enough to DROWN you??? LOL Definately a chaw chewin, chevy drivin, deer jackin, beer for breakfast drinkin, redneck hobby.
So much so that the guy in the top picture had his right arm stretched out to twice the length of his left one!
However..... Even worse..... He seems to have lost both arms to the second monster!
Can you imagine the guts it must take to dive underwater while noodlin' in WADERS! How he ever managed to get back on his feet while holin' those fish is beyond me!
i think the records noted may be for rod/nreel or trot line or jugs. i think i read in the paper a 104lb flat head some kids found in a pound that was drying up hear in ok a few yrs ago. its my belief that there are definately some cats over 100lbs here in the states. a friend told me a story of a waterskier getting a lot of his leg (skin and muscles) tore off by a cat in lake eufaula here in ok a couple summers ago. The cat had his leg and the people in the boat were tryin to pull him in like it was a big tug o war contest. they are out there. they just aren't usually caught due to most folks don't have the tackle to land them and they straighten out hooks on trot lines. people have definately been drowned by noodling. i like to stay in the boat myself and hope one of them cats don't attack my 17' nitro!
Rob says: "Definately a chaw chewin, chevy drivin, deer jackin, beer for breakfast drinkin, redneck hobby."
As a Chevy Driving redneck, nope.
Also, in that top pic, notice the guy's a little on the cross-eyed side? Kinda like mom and dad are siblings (that's brother and sister for those of you in Arkansas)...
Remember: Never eat a catfish with a belly bigger than yours.
Dars sumpin a rong wid dat boy if'n he tinks he kin go in da watur and dun katchem dem big old fish wid just his finners! I tink he dun spent two manee nights lickin the bug zapper and his momma and pappy is furst cusints.