# Biggest Catfish off Mayday Pier



## Wingman1

I'm not one to go freshwater fishing, but today I decided to go blow some steam from a long week of classes. My girlfriend and I went to mayday park in Daphne and fished for whatever would bite. We went baitless and luckily caught two big mullet in the cast-net, which were sacrificed as bait. Chunked out a line for fun and sat back to relax. All of a sudden the line started peeling off (we were gonna get this bull red in no matter what). She finally got the fish to surface and saw the head of this big cat. Sorry to all you guys fishing this weekend for cats but I guess they decided to travel into the bay for a little while. :thumbsup:


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## CatHunter

wow nice blue id say hes close to 20lbs its very unusual for them to travel that far into the bays especially in the winter months, but then again the Alabama and tensaw river is just north of u so anything is possible over there, right place right time good job


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## SantaRosaFishFinder

Nice cat. I also love to go catfishing. Check out this one I caught last fall in Yellow River. 49 lbs.


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## Jason

Shooooooot that's a biggun!!!! I bet ya'll were surprised!!!! Good few meals there!!!


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## jstblsd

Nice catch guys!


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## bigrick

What kinda fight do those freshwater cats give ya?


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## SantaRosaFishFinder

Well, it's like this, I use a 4-0 Penn reel, 80 lb test Gorilla line, 7-0 circle hook and it was still hard getting him up off of the bottom. After that it was a pretty good battle to get him in the boat. I used a hand-sized live goggle-eye for bait and was fishing in 24 ft of water. This one fought harder than any other flathead I've ever caught.


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## CatHunter

ill put it like this check my albums iv caught just about every thing that swims in our souther waters and i would compare pulling a 50lb flathead out of submerged timber like pulling a 50lb copper belly out of a wreck... and by the way if u chek the local records that was a record flathead you ate...now Apalachicola holds the state record good catch though i work yellow river a good bitt, some nice ones in there if u know what your doing, and by the large hole in his face he looks like a limb line victim


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## SantaRosaFishFinder

You have caught a lot of great fish, and it looks like you have had a lot of fun. I also have fished Yellow River since I've been 5 years old, with my daddy. Now I'm 60. The 49 lb flathead that I caught was not caught off of a bush. He was caught with a 4-0 Penn reel and 80 lb test Gorilla line and a 7-0 circle hook. A live goggle eye as big as your hand was the bait. The tear in his mouth is where I had to tear the circle hook out of his mouth. Although I have caught a lot of catfish, both blues and channel on bush hooks. You are right, Appalachicola holds the state record for flathead, 49.39 lbs but there was also one caught on a bush that weighed 57.5 lbs in Hillsborough River in 1975. So stay with me Cathunter and we can do some more Yellow River fishing. I'm going for Goggle Eyes tomorrow. Not sure if they are going to bite, but I'll try. Stay tuned for more from The SantaRosaFishFinder


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## CatHunter

iv had trouble with ussing google eyes in the past for flatheads, they seem to get me hung up a good bit, the flatheads in yellow river love Canadian night crawlers there really large worms you get from walmart 25 comes in a cup..Ill start working the yellow river again some time in march when the water gets in the 60s(iv seen the picture of that one from Hillsborough River as well)This is a really good article about Florida's new cat fish history,
http://www.floridagameandfish.com/fishing/catfish-fishing/FL_0609_01/


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## FishWalton

Oh my goodness..... Now we have two rabid cat guys on the forum......This is going to be fun watching the competiton.......LOL Go getum guys.......


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## -WiRtH-

I used those night cawlers on bush hooks last summer on Yellow River and they never did me any good. It's always minnows or liver that do the trick for me. I used to use them for bass fishing from the bank at ponds and lakes though and bream fishing if you cut them in half. Tht always did pretty well for me.


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## CatHunter

Yea they wont work on bush hooks theres too many small fish to peck them off you have to kinda baby sit them when some thing steals them off the hook


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## SantaRosaFishFinder

What kind of a bottom rig do you use when you use goggle eyes, bluegills or shellcrackers to catch catfish?


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## Jighead

You catfish guys should get together and take a trip to Guntersville whare you have a chance to double that 49 pounder. Under the dams on the entire Tennessee river is known for the catfish.


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## SantaRosaFishFinder

That sounds good. WHat is the best time of year to catch them?


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## Farmer

Big smile on your girl friend and holding the fish too! Better not let that one get away!


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