Facebook; Twitter; WhatsApp; SMS; Email; Print; Copy article link; Save; featured. His mouth was so large you could have put a basketball in it, said Richards. It was still an absolute ton of fun to land the fish and then watch it swim away, Said Stephens. Available throughout Guntersville Lake, there are two primary areas that hold catfish. Jugs are very effective there and perfectly legal. The record for the largest flathead catfish belongs to Ken Paulie, who landed his big flathead over 20 years ago. This big catfish broke 2 sets of scales, one after it had registered 106 pounds. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism In fact, the Piraiba is the largest of the catfish species found in the Amazon. Not quite. Goonch catfish have reportedly been known to eat corpses from funeral pyres on the Kali River, which runs between Nepal and India. Their skin is nearly scaleless and they have barbed spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins. A flathead catfish is easier to differentiate from other catfish due to its (yes, you guessed it) flat head. Mekong giant catfish is rare and endangered. According to the Alabama Department of . 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. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Lake Guntersville fishing is great for bass, crappie, catfish and more in the Cotton State. This monster of a fish was caught by Ken Paulie who reeled it in from the Elk City Reservoir in Independence, Kansas. But last Friday, a 10-year-old kid reeled in one of the biggest fish in the lake. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Many anglers will target them near the Guntersville Dam, but you can catch them throughout the lake as well. Visit our catfish page to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Andrew Osmer, Ryan Richards and Timmy Richey were fishing late that night when Osmer hooked a huge catfish. He gets a motel room in Guntersville and always stays a few day when he comes to fish. Many anglers will target them near the Guntersville Dam, but you can catch them throughout the lake as well. Depending on how big it was, you were probably exhausted! While Paulies record was verified by the the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and has been standing for over 20 years, many people have questioned the legitimacy of Paulies catch. Adding in the 33 pound catfish and the 11 pound drum, we ended up with at least 90 pounds of fish caught. Catfish are found in lakes and rivers all over the U.S. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Nearly all of these catfish are listed as the world record for their species in the International Game Fish Associations (IGFA) World Records Database. This record-breaking catfish was caught by Rick Conner of Selma, AL in Selma on the Alabama River. Current subscribers to the Advertiser Gleam get free access to AdvertiserGleam.com, Just provide the last name on your account and your phone number to activate your account. person will not be tolerated. Therefore, read on to find out about the largest flathead catfish ever caught in Alabama! See ya'll next time!SUBSCRIBE!https://www.youtube.com/richardgenethefishingmachinePrevious Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=949Vm5zaljsContact The Machine:Richardgenethefishingmachine@gmail.comMail The Machine:Richard HelmsPO Box 342Geraldine AL 35974Thank You For Watching! release when captured). Best Fishing Trips Threats of harming another William D. Webb, B'ham Some locals were watching me fight the fish and they came over to help, Mike said. Several anglers have caught catfish in Guntersville Lake in excess of 80 pounds. Nicks heart jumped when the big pole bent. Purchase Licenses We'd love to hear eyewitness Terry Knight. Stephens estimated the fish was around 70 pounds. So, what do they do with the fish afterwards? Guntersville. Nick is back in class, and the. accounts, the history behind an article. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Mike Watts caught it below Guntersville Dam. The products have a streamlined appearance that is excellent for any style. What is the largest catfish ever caught in the United States? Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. We check for new photo additions every day and approve them. The products have a streamlined appearance that is excellent for any style. Nevertheless, anglers across Alabama frequently land trophy blues and . From the Tennessee River in the north to the Alabama and Coosa Rivers near Montgomery, there is some fine catfishing in the state of Alabama. Some anglers swear the biggest catfish can be found below the Guntersville Dam on the Tennessee River, but the truth is there are good-sized catfish throughout the state. 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). Big crappie caught on Guntersville lake. Ive been coming up here to fish at Guntersville Dam since I was 12 years old and Im 59 now.. Millers Ferry Lake runs about 105 miles along the river to the Claiborne Dam in Monroe County. Lake Guntersville does have good numbers of catfish available too. They have protruding barbels that come off the face that looks like whiskers, which is how catfish get their name. Officials from Thailand's Inland Fishery Department wanted to use the female Mekong giant catfish for a breeding program, but she ended up dying. 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. 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. I realized the size of fish that were below the dam and I started bait fishing and Ive been coming ever since, he said. Use this FISHING rig to find and catch Giant Lake Catfish Steve Douglas 399K views 7 years ago THOUSANDS Of Crappie Fishing LAKE GUNTERSVILLE!! Have some feedback for us? Class had just been dismissed at Collins Elementary School in Scottsboro. A 4-pound 12-ounce bluegill caught in Ketona Lake in April 1950 by T.S. We use live bluegill as bait. Blue and flathead are the largest catfishes in Alabama, and in order of state records, they weighed 120 and 80 pounds respectively. In addition to weighing nearly 650 pounds, this Mekong giant catfish was 9 feet (2.7 meters) long. It is 75 miles (121 km) long, running from Guntersville Dam to Nickajack Dam. But the 10-year-old from Langston, Alabama, loves one thing more: It was last Friday when Nick and his grandfather Larry Stephens headed to the dock at the South Sauty Creek Resort. This area also has plenty of channel catfish and blue catfish with the Delta including many tributaries, bayous, and creeks where catfish love to live. They have a mottled coloration of olive, brown, and light yellow. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. RE: catfishing guntersville The first 5 or 6 miles below Guntersville Dam on Wheeler Lake has some great catfishing. In captivity, redtail catfish eat assorted worms, frozen foods, sinking catfish pellets, and dry foods. Andrew Osmer caught this 89-pound catfish in Lake Guntersville on March 17, 2017. They can weigh more than 100 pounds with the heaviest recorded weight in the world being 143 pounds. We had our hands on the pole as the fish pulled us around like it was nothing!. Fish must be caught in Alabama waters by legal means. Good food., Guntersville Hotels with Air Conditioning, Guntersville Hotels with Laundry Facilities, Hotels near Lake Guntersville State Park Cabins by RRM, Hotels near Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center, Hotels near Homer B. Wilson Jr Vintage Museum, Hotels near First Baptist Church Guntersville, American Restaurants for Families in Guntersville, American Restaurants for Large Groups in Guntersville, American Restaurants with Outdoor Seating in Guntersville, Restaurants near Hampton Inn Guntersville, Restaurants near Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge, Restaurants near Wyndham Garden Lake-Guntersville, Restaurants near Lake Guntersville State Park, Restaurants near Lake Guntersville State Park Cabins by RRM, Restaurants near Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center, Restaurants near Town Creek Fishing Center. Some anglers have found excellent catfishing in the Tensaw River as well. Free Lake Guntersville is one of the best bass lakes in the country. He thinks it might have pushed the state record if he could have gotten it to a set of accurate scales a little quicker. View our maps and read detailed fishing reports from nearby anglers. In an interview, Vgner said that he is sill after the world record Goliath Tiger Fish of the Kongo river. Freshwater drum. They kept him alive in some water, weighed him, then released the 89-pounder at Chickasaw Landing on Hobbs Island Road. KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. Fishing spots and baits to use at Guntersville Lake? Within 24 hours, the photos had shared 2,100 times. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This California slab is the most recently caught record crappie on our list. GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - One fisher caught a large catfish at Lake Guntersville. They got to Cooley Grocery with the fish about 4:00 and Mike became an instant celebrity. Just a month before he made his record redtail catfish catch, Fernandes caught another redtail that was 113 pounds 8 ounces (51.5 kilograms). Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code. Youll always remember that moment, finally pulling it in the boat. According to Practical Fishkeeping, there are now over 3,000 species of catfish around the world. Fishing Techniques Explore full map. Weighing must be witnessed by two people. WHNT News 19 viewer Larry Stephens sent in photos of his wife April fishing on the lake. Fish over 40 and 50 pounds are possible. The people from the nearby villagers didn't let the fish go to waste and ended up eating it. Have you caught a big fish lately? 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 numerous bridges around the lake, working funnel areas can also be productive. The Tombigbee and the Alabama River come together to form the Mobile River which in turn flows down to Mobile Bay. Fishing Tackle Don't knowingly lie about anyone At first we struggled to figure the fish out, since we went in expecting the traditional pre-spawn bite of red lipless and squarebill crankbaits. Catfishing on Guntersville Lake today folks. In 2015, an Italian fisherman named Dino Ferrari was featured in international news for capturing a monster Wels catfish in the Po Delta. 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. The guys still wont budge. State fishing records are kept for the blue, flathead, channel, and white with the blue catfish being the largest catfish species in the state. Nick had reeled in a 70-pound flathead catfish so big that it made Larry look in the record books. Dave Burruss, the owner of Clear Lake Outdoors in . Contests & Promotions, Chilly, breezy, scattered snow showers possible, State fire marshal calls up C. Oregon firefighter task force to help battle large fire in downtown John Day. Mike Watts had been on a quest for years to catch a giant catfish. Promotional Rates were found for your code. You have permission to edit this article. Fish must be identified by a Fisheries Section biologist or other certified fisheries biologist. The largest flathead catfish ever caught in the world was 123 pounds! Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Flathead catfish average 18-24 inches long but can reach 29-30 inches. Larry found that the Alabama state record for a flathead is 80 pounds. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. We finally tied the 2 boats together and it took all 3 of us to get it in the boat.. It is speculated that this has allowed the Goonch to grow so large and develop a taste for human flesh. Id caught some that went 65, but Id never broke 70 pounds, said the self-employed contractor from Munford near Anniston. One weighed 127 pounds and another was between 130 and 135 pounds. If you are targeting flatheads, you will want to stay closer to the inland area of the brackish tidal system since flatheads tend to stay away from water that is too salty. 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. Wed love to see it. (Photo: Ryan Richards), Richards did reveal the kind of bait they use. On the Alabama River, some of the best catfishing occurs on the William "Bill" Dannelly Reservoir, better known as Millers Ferry Lake, near Camden. This giant South American catfish was also over 6.5 feet (2 meters) long. Mikes daddy was catfishing before I was born and he grew up fishing the Coosa. Barkley Reservoir Micka Burkhart September 24, 2022 Class A Brown Bullhead Catfish 3 lbs., 15 oz. Stretching from the Nickajack Dam all the way to the Guntersville Dam, this manmade impoundment has some of the best fishing in the Cotton State, and receives national recognition, too. Richards said commercial fishermen often ask where they can catch the big guys. And they took hundreds of pictures. Alabama's largest lake contains 69,100 acres and stretches 75 miles from Nickajack Dam to Guntersville Dam. All of the catfish on this list are over 100 pounds (45.36 kilograms). I'm a Wildlife Conservation Author and Journalist, raising awareness about conservation by teaching others about the amazing animals we share the planet with. You dont catch as many in the fall, but the average weight is bigger, he said. Kid catches 70 pound catfish in Lake Guntersville. Catfish will be found in the tailrace area of Nickajack Dam and in the deep water just above Guntersville Dam. Alternatively, you may use, Giving an Extra Circle for Tough Times, This place was a fun surprise. Application must be submitted on official application form . 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. We have now organized our main site into 300 plus websites to make it easier for you to learn more about the fish you want to catch and the places you want to visit. It took over an hour for the Thai fishermen to reel in the heavy catfish. 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. His luck changed last week when he brought in a big blue catfish that went well over 100 pounds. Type your phone number with no spaces (example:2565555555). Nick is feeling good, and we assume the catfish is, too, after quite an adventure. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. There are still some monsters out there! Richards added. Be Nice. This record-breaker had a girth of 43 inches around; now that is a big catfish! Lake Guntersville does have good numbers of catfish available too. For reference, a large labrador retriever weighs 70-80 pounds. It took Anderson about 45 minutes to land the giant blue catfish, whose size surprised Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries chief Gary Martel. This large blue catfish weighed in at 143 pounds (64.86 kilograms) and was 4.75 feet (1.45 meters) long. The Elk River flows into Wheeler Lake from the north. Like Comments |. The caudal fin (tail) fin is squarish compared to the forked tail of blue catfish and channel cats. Please click the Submit Your Photo button below to add it straight to this gallery. 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. Table of Contents show What fish are biting on Guntersville Lake? 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