# Catfish catastrophe



## CamaJas (Aug 27, 2007)

Ok, first off, hello. I am fairly new to the 2cool fishing blog site, and texas fishing and I have a problem. I have been fishing Lake Conroe for the last few months and been enjoying the catfish hunt. But!!!!!!, I was on the lake today, and I witnessed a fishing disgrace. We got out early this morning from Castaways Marina about 6am and after good fishing, an overcast and slightly rainy morning, we headed in at 11am. While making the short run back in, we found two Juglines floating next to what looked like a log. After avoiding the "log", me and my brother noticed that is had fins. It seems that attached to one of these jug lines, which had a date of 9-27-07, was a 3 foot long and 10 inch round catfish. This was the biggest catfish I have every seen, and should not have been killed in this way. This fish should have been in a lot of family fishing pictures and then returned to the lake for the next family. My brother took some pictures with his phone, but we have not been able to get them off.....yet. I will continue to try and get them, but this still is a huge disappointment and I only hope the people responsible would some day get a fine or at least bad luck fishing.



A great man once said.....you can't fix stupid. I only hope that that one day, that changes.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

If he was on a jug line and was that big, it is possible that he swam that jug a long ways from where it was set out. Not a good excuse, but it does happen. We have found jugs with good fish on them in the Colorado River that were more than a 2 miles from where we sat them out. Leaving jugs out unattended in a big lake is asking for trouble.


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## TBill (Aug 27, 2007)

CamaJas said:


> Ok, first off, hello. I am fairly new to the 2cool fishing blog site, and texas fishing and I have a problem. I have been fishing Lake Conroe for the last few months and been enjoying the catfish hunt. But!!!!!!, I was on the lake today, and I witnessed a fishing disgrace. We got out early this morning from Castaways Marina about 6am and after good fishing, an overcast and slightly rainy morning, we headed in at 11am. While making the short run back in, we found two Juglines floating next to what looked like a log. After avoiding the "log", me and my brother noticed that is had fins. It seems that attached to one of these jug lines, which had a date of 9-27-07, was a 3 foot long and 10 inch round catfish. This was the biggest catfish I have every seen, and should not have been killed in this way. This fish should have been in a lot of family fishing pictures and then returned to the lake for the next family. My brother took some pictures with his phone, but we have not been able to get them off.....yet. I will continue to try and get them, but this still is a huge disappointment and I only hope the people responsible would some day get a fine or at least bad luck fishing.
> 
> A great man once said.....you can't fix stupid. I only hope that that one day, that changes.


Did you call the game warden? Name, address and date are required on the jug line. The gear tag is good for 30 days, so it was legal.


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## CamaJas (Aug 27, 2007)

I'm not sure the jugslines were drug, but it sould be possible. I have seen jugs in the same area alomost every weekend i have been out, so I can only assume it may be someone who lives on the lake and due to neglect, they killed this fish. I did not contact the game warden, cause I dont not have the knowledge of how to and did not know information other then the date would be on the jug. All I saw was the date. I would definitly call now if I got that info.

I was able to get one photo, but honestly, it does not show how big this fish really was. I was seriously 3 - 4 feet long.


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## TBill (Aug 27, 2007)

Here's the number....1-800-792-GAME. Program it in your phone and you will have it when you need it. 
The fish doesn't appear to have been dead for too long, and when the folks that the jug belongs to find it, they probably will feel just as bad as you do about it. A fish that size may have dragged the jug for miles.


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## muleherder (Mar 7, 2006)

I'm sure the owner of the jug feels bad about losing a fish that size. Prime time for juggging is at night and a fish that size can drag a jug a long way so I can see how you can lose a jug and never find it. It is real sad but it happens and I'm not sure what can be done about it because I don't believe it was deliberate.


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## CamaJas (Aug 27, 2007)

You all are probably right and I do hope it was an unfortunate event and not neglect. It was just a shame to see. I heard conroe had some big cats, even saw pictures of one with a basketball in its mouth and stuck at the top of the water until a boater popped it and let it go, but this thing was a freak. 

Thanks all,


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## FishBird (Jun 25, 2005)

yall are right about big cats taking off with jugs and weights i have lost jugs more than once at night on summerville and not found them until the next day after looking over half the lake , they can go a long way in one night


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## phishtales (Feb 18, 2005)

*Basketball*

The catfish with the basketball was somewhere in Kansas. No doubt that there are cats in there that could easily do the same.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/catchfish.asp


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## deepfried (Oct 9, 2007)

*Big Cats need cooler water*

Here on Richland Chambers most the jug liners pull them up during the summer months unless they can run them every 30 min cause those big cats won't long in 90 to 80deg water. Temps here are still too warm to leave em on long. Rod & Reelers are having a great time though.


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

Was the fish even hooked to the jug line? If not, I don't see how you can logically relate them. If so, it seems obvious that it's a lost jug or the fish would have been pulled off. I guess I don't really see what the problem is, the jug was dated easily within legal guidelines and they could have easily been lost jugs, which happens regularly even with anchored lines. The fish could have simply bitten under the thermocline and died over night, we have pulled up lots of already dead fish in warm months.

Guess I just don't understand what the jugliner is being accused of negligence in.


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## rambunctious (May 30, 2004)

*Jugs*

Sorry to here about a dead cat. I'm hoping it drug the jug aways. We chased a big cat for an hour one night. We put reflective tape on ours and it took off and pulled it like in Jaws. Everu time we got close it would go under and haul A--. We finally pulled in about 30-35 lb/ cat. We CPR'D him ald went on jugging. I'll never forget the wake he put up when on top.
Terry


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## CamaJas (Aug 27, 2007)

Yes, the fish was hooked. I ran the handle of my net under it to feel the line. I suppose it could have been hooked to something else, but unlikely. I only had a phone camera available and it was about to rain extremely hard, so I couldn't get more detailed pictures. One of the main reasons I suspect that the jugs may not have been drug and that it may be neglect, is I pass by this area going out and back in every weekend and I always see jugs in this exact same spot. Not to mention the date said it was 9 days old. Still, I really do hope that it was drug and not neglect. Also, I am not saying that circumstances didn't come up, for all I know, the owners had an emergency come up and they couldn't get to it. I guess I did come off pretty ignorant suggesting a fine is in order, but I guess I am when it comes to Jugline fishing. Plus, I probably had to many beers before I remembered the fish and started this thread. That is a strong probably by the way.


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

The date doesn't really mean anything. Most don't update the date everytime the jug is set out - as long as the date on the jug is within 30 days you're good.


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## D.L. (Sep 13, 2007)

You think thats big check these out http://http://www.fishingtx.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9617


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## rickt300 (Dec 17, 2007)

I usually don't set my jug lines out in summer with lines any longer than 12 feet long so I stay above the thermocline. I will make them up to 25 feet long in the winter. I wish I could say I never lost one. It is possible the people that set that jugline out will come and get the fish though.


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## backlashcharlie (Dec 27, 2007)

my uncle caught 63 pound blue in there on a jug and crazy but we chased it down in the boat lol


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