120# Tennessee Blue Cat =(

[Catfish]

I met up with this Commercial fisherman at the boat ramp one day ... This fish was taken this year 7-9-04 to be exact ... Mr. White was good enough to mail me a picture of this monster (dead monster =( ) .. Our commercial fisherman in Tennessee are not allowed to keep any cats over 34" , however Mr. White said that the law was written in a very hard to find place in the book ... He recieved a warning ticket for this and now abides by the law . I also was amazed when speaking with him that there are many days he pulls over 8000 pounds of catfish out of the Tennessee River . He was a very nice gentleman and I respect his right to make a living .. I was just at total amazement of the #s , he was spitting at me .. Even if it was exaggerated a bit -- It is still amazing ..

[mudd_catt]

You know, I might have in the past kept some fish larger than most people would, but that one is just too big to make any use of. In my un-educated days, I have eaten fish as large as 20#, but they weren't any good. A fish that big would be tough and too strong to eat.


BTW, don't they have a limit on how many pounds a commercial fisherman can catch in a day? I have seen some of the fisherman on Pickwick bring in several hundred pounds in a days time. One of the guys told me that they got an order from Memphis for 800#'s and filled it in two days.

[Hawkeye]

There are commercial fishermen hauling in catches like that (without the 120# fish, of course) every week... the REALLY sick part about it is there's a food advisory regarding fish caught in the James (PCBs) and these commercial guys aren't required to disclose the location the fish are caught... I was told that if they keep the fish in a pond for 30 days, they can sell it as "Farm Raised" catfish... buyer beware, I suppose...

[NightTrain]

Sorry,but,that is just unnecessary...The eyeballs on that leviathan are bigger than golfballs!Makes me wonder about what we buy in the grocery store:confused: :confused: :confused:

[MUDHOLE KID]

The Question At Hand Is ,are These Commerically Caught Fish Being Replenished By Local Fishery Departments ? If Not You Can Imagine Where This Is Heading.there Is Laws ,but There Times Like You Spoke Of That The Penalty Is A Slap On The Hand.everyone Has To Make A Living ,but The Numbers That You Quoted Hawkeye Irks Me.

[NightTrain]

Everybody's got to make a livin',but there are common sense guidelines for every job in this world....guess people will find ways to get around them all.

[Nikonos]

The Question At Hand Is ,are These Commerically Caught Fish Being Replenished By Local Fishery Departments?

Nope. Fish Kentucky Lake one day when the commercial boats are running and it will make you want to heave.

[MUDHOLE KID]

Well Now The Other Question Is How Can We Or Someone Else Make Something Happen.restocking Is The Life Of The Fishery,and Cpr

[metalman]

I'm not saying Mr. White was lying but I absolutely cannot believe there is a commercial catter in Tennessee who was (is) unaware of the new rules. It was the lobbying from the commercial guys that kept these new rules at bay for so long.J.M.H.O....W

[Bigcat]

Is that why I can not catch any fish from bank anymore?

That's what I think is wrong. People used to be able to just go fishing(and catch some) Now you need(need) a boat, good tackle (can not afford to miss a bite) , depth finder , blah , blah ,blah

You get the point.

I did not think it was that hard to farm raise catfish. And why sell a public resource that we supposedly pay for with our fishing license?

[NightTrain]

true dat,Bigcat.

[MUDHOLE KID]

Amen Brother Bigcat

[mudd_catt]

You know, I have raised cats in a pond, and it ain't that hard, just more trouble and a little more expensive than going to the river and setting a couple of gill nets and several lines. Go to every boat ramp on my end of Pickwick and there will be a commercial fisherman parked at the ramp. I believe it should be regulated a lot more closely than it is. I know it has came up in discussion before, but I would rather these fish be sold by the fisherman to a pay lake for re-catch that just the wholesale slaughter. I would go so far as to say that I would ALMOST rather start eating catfish imported from Taiwan than support this tragedy. I realize a lot of people make a living this way, but COME ON!

[Bigcat]

And another thing that might sound mean. Just because someone makes a living doing something is NOT a reason to keep that job around.

It sounds bad but think about all other fields where layoffs come to no end, getting machines to build cars, ect.

And no one cried with me when computer prices fell like a rock and I got layed off due to priceing wars. They always get rid of thousands of jobs every year and of course there are always new jobs being created also. It's called progress.

But yes it's sad If someone who fished for a living(and their dad did also) has to stop and get a different job, but we should do what's best for everyone.

Same for the shimpers here on the coast BTW

And I'm not saying I know it all. Maybe they do not hurt fishing as much as it looks. I'm just giving MHO. I do think the shimpers hurt fishing but that's a different story.

[NightTrain]

Again...well said Bigcat.

[dreamcaster]

I too agree with Bigcat,I also pay the little extra to fish saltwater, I "harvest" maybe 20 lbs. a year .I also believe commercializing public property is a bigger problem than we are fully aware of.

[ZenDaddy]

Good gravey ... look at the size of that thing. It almost looks like the fish swallowed son #2 paddle and all, and Mr White's trying to pull him out!