# 120# Blue Cat from the Choctawhatchee



## Joraca (Dec 29, 2007)

FWC facebook has the article on this trotlined fish.


https://www.facebook.com/MyFWC/?hc_...QSyz80jf1NrF441EtaOWY6OMLAmKOhWYJAi-o&fref=nf


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

whoa


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Reading the comments, it’s nice to know there are so many people pissed about him killing a blue that size. Unfortunately, there are still many ignorant ones commenting also.

Needs to be some laws changed when it comes to Killing these large blues.


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## dustyflair (Nov 11, 2011)

wow what a breeder...


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

lol First thing I thought of "What would you think if you grabbed that one while noodling......" LOL


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## Fishing Grandpa (Jul 2, 2017)

jlw1972 said:


> Reading the comments, it’s nice to know there are so many people pissed about him killing a blue that size. Unfortunately, there are still many ignorant ones commenting also.
> 
> Needs to be some laws changed when it comes to Killing these large blues.


 It is a shame to see such a fish wasted for nothing. I would not want to eat a fish that old. But if I caught it with a rod and reel I would definitely take a few pics before letting it swim away. As for more laws, I think we already have a ridiculous amount of them. FWC should tell about the importance of letting large breeding fish go.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

jlw1972 said:


> Reading the comments, it’s nice to know there are so many people pissed about him killing a blue that size. Unfortunately, there are still many ignorant ones commenting also.
> 
> Needs to be some laws changed when it comes to Killing these large blues.




If I ever catch a big one like that I’m gonna clean it, soak it a couple days in “Dales” fry it up and then ride slow in the left lane all the way to Joeys house so he can have a taste!!


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Was it legal the way he caught it.Was it legal for him to keep it. The only thing I see stupid is some one bitching about it. He did not throw it up on the bank for the ***** and buzzards to eat so why throw him on the chopping block.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Opinions will vary but the results will stay the same.


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

So ya dont catch big fish,or just dont like people that do.And I am sure ya heard about opinions.I aint knocking yours,but cause ya dont like what some one caught kept and ate,does that make ya better than them. I dont think so. But if it makes ya feel good get after it,I got bigger fish to fry.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Completely missed the point...


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## jpwalnuthill (Feb 12, 2010)

I personally would not keep that fish because I would consider it not fit to eat. I can't criticize this man for keeping it because I don't know his situation. He may need the meat and not have what some of us have. JMO


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## dustyflair (Nov 11, 2011)

i wonder if that tastes better than a big worm filled black drum????


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)




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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

The rod/reel guys can't catch it in the future if you don't release it. It is not a state record because it was caught on a trotline, but would have been if caught on a rod/reel. This is why the rod/reel guys don't like set lines. They remove a lot of big fish from the local rivers.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

billyb said:


> The rod/reel guys can't catch it in the future if you don't release it. It is not a state record because it was caught on a trotline, but would have been if caught on a rod/reel. This is why the rod/reel guys don't like set lines. They remove a lot of big fish from the local rivers.


Cathunter really hurt your feelings huh?


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## lees way2 (Oct 7, 2007)

What was the point. I missed it.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

lees way2 said:


> What was the point. I missed it.


The point is conservation. Not jealousy or rodnreel guys against trotline guys or commercial against recreational or he caught a bigger fish than me or any of that other silly crap. Just simply preserving a resource and lifestyle that we all love. 

I’m no better than he is, I’ve been guilty of the same thing in the past. Not 120lbs but bigger than what I should have kept. But no more for me. I love fishing and will continue to do my part to insure we are able to do it for as long a possible. Just common sense things like not littering and not polluting my waters and not killing the biggest fish that are caught make a huge difference. 

It’s not rocket science.


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

Also catfishing is becoming a very popular sport, especially the tournament circuit. It may not be long before it rivals bass fishing. You would think that big fish produce a lot of offspring so some people think that you deplete the population of the species when you don't catch and release. Back in February JCoss posted a report where he caught and kept a nice mess of bass. Buckchaser commented "That female was fixing to lay eggs, she won't now". Cathunter then replied "It's just a bass, they are in every ditch and pond in Florida. A dime ah thousand." Well catfish are plentiful too, maybe not the real big ones are and I wonder if they eat more than they produce when they get that big. I am sure a study has been done somewhere to find out if big fish are an asset or a liability.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Billyb, Cathunter is probably his own worst enemy when it comes to those kind of post. He is very condescending. 

Most all of us are on the same side when it comes to our fishing future. We all want it to be better and continue to improve. But killing a 120lb blue to take a picture and process into catfood, just doesn’t make good sense to me.

I’m Not down on people fishing set lines, we all enjoy different things. We all still need to do our part though.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

billyb said:


> Also catfishing is becoming a very popular sport, especially the tournament circuit. It may not be long before it rivals bass fishing. You would think that big fish produce a lot of offspring so some people think that you deplete the population of the species when you don't catch and release. Back in February JCoss posted a report where he caught and kept a nice mess of bass. Buckchaser commented "That female was fixing to lay eggs, she won't now". Cathunter then replied "It's just a bass, they are in every ditch and pond in Florida. A dime ah thousand." Well catfish are plentiful too, maybe not the real big ones are and I wonder if they eat more than they produce when they get that big. I am sure a study has been done somewhere to find out if big fish are an asset or a liability.


I have a scientific study that was done by a state on the recovery of a bream fishery when thousands of flatheads were removed from a river. I'll see if I can find it and post the details in a day or two.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Here is the Georgia DNR information on catfish control.
http://georgiawildlife.com/flathead-removal-project

In the article "Introduced Catfish, The Good and the Bad, Then and Now" published in the 2015 In-Fisherman Catfish Guide. Dr. Hal Schramm provides a fair and balanced review of the subject. The Satilla River was famous for an abundance of redbreast sunfish until the flatheads arrived. 

Information in the article says the Ga. DNR used electronic fishing from 2007 to 2014, and removed 47,497 invasive catfish flatheads from the Satilla River totaling 91,906 pounds of fish.As a result the average size of flatheads declined and the native redbreast bream have rebounded as a result. 

There is a good bit more about the Georgia DNR program on flatheads and blues on Google.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

jlw1972 said:


> Billyb, Cathunter is probably his own worst enemy when it comes to those kind of post. He is very condescending.
> 
> Most all of us are on the same side when it comes to our fishing future. We all want it to be better and continue to improve. But killing a 120lb blue to take a picture and process into catfood, just doesn’t make good sense to me.
> 
> I’m Not down on people fishing set lines, we all enjoy different things. We all still need to do our part though.



I hope to catch a big one before I can't fish anymore, and I'll most likely let it go. Every fisherman should be conservation minded although their level of understanding, participation, and support will vary widely.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I don’t like to let the big ones go, so I usually just fish for little ones.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Try'n Hard said:


> I don’t like to let the big ones go, so I usually just fish for little ones.


You just stay out of that left lane buddy. Or else!


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## YELLOWCAT (Oct 25, 2017)

Me personally I wouldn't have kept it, but a 120 lb flathead I would have killed. On a flathead the bigger the fish the better he gets. Just a fact!!


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## YELLOWCAT (Oct 25, 2017)

I wouldn't have kept it because it was a blue, but would kill a 120 flathead all day. Yummmmmy!!


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

YELLOWCAT said:


> I wouldn't have kept it because it was a blue, but would kill a 120 flathead all day. Yummmmmy!!




Thank you


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