The one that didn't get away!

[Aggie87]

This is a picture of a catfish that a guy recently caught at Lake Texoma. According to the news, he was fishing from the shore with a 20 pound test line. When he realized what a huge fish he had caught, he stayed in the water with it and kept it close to shore with his hands. He used his cell phone to call a friend and tell him to bring a scale. The friend got there and the scale topped out at 100 pounds. They took it to the nearby Bait shop and weighed it there. It weighed 121 pounds!

Luckily a Game Warden was there and called the Athens Freshwater Fisheries Center and asked them if they wanted the fish. They sent a 'live truck' to the site and brought the fish safely to Athens.

They are getting it ready for the public to view. The paper said that it would be two to three weeks before they'd release into the public tank.. They estimated that the 121 pound catfish was about 27 years old!

***************************************

GIANT LOCAL FISH STILL MAKING WAVES

BY Dan Eakin

Herald Democrat

ATHENS -- Splash, the state record catfish caught at Lake Texoma by Cody Mullennix of Howe last month, made a big splash with children, the public and media over the weekend at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.

Throughout the day Saturday and Sunday, before and between shows, children pressed their hands and faces against the glass of the Dive Theater Aquarium for a close look at the unusual sight, a 121.5 pound blue catfish landed by Mullennix on Jan. 16.

Every few minutes, a man would step up to the glass and say, "Kids, please don't put your face or hands on the glass." It was reminiscent of Mr. Whipple saying, "Please don't squeeze the Charmin," because the temptation was too great.

Splash, the name given to the fish by Mullennix because she caused such a big splash when she was reeled in, almost appeared to be performing for the excited crowd. She would swim around, obviously enjoying being out of the smaller tank she had been in for about the past three weeks. She would sometimes swim right up to the glass where the children were on the other side, then go back among the other fish and items in the tank.

Sometimes, she would do a figure eight, almost appearing to be showing out. She appeared much more lively than she was while in the small tank awaiting to be placed in the dive tank to be before audiences.

One little girl yelled, "They're taking too many pictures!" as several people were there with their cameras flashing from different angles.

In addition to being a record herself, Splash is also the reason that the Center is setting records in attendance. A total of 900 people of all ages visited the Center last weekend, and Barry St. Clair, public relations director for the Center, said Splash is the reason.

"We've had the largest number of people ever to visit the Center during the months of January and February since it opened in November 1996, and it's because of the big fish," St. Clair said.

A large sign at the ticket counter shows a picture of Mullennix holding the fish, with a big headline over a story stating, "See the New World Record."

Inland Fisheries Chief Phil Durocher presented Mullennix with a state rod and reel record certificate for blue catfish at a press conference Friday. Mullennix also received a recognition award from the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. Certification as a world record for the species by the international Game Fish Association is pending.

As the one who made the record catch, Mullennix was given the right to name his fish. He said he and his family thought long and hard before deciding on a name.

"We named her Splash because she came to the top of the water with a mighty splash," Mullennix told a crowd of about 60 attending Friday's press conference when the certificates were presented.

[JohnS]

That's a good fish. In the UK we put them back.

[JSngry]

DAMN that's a big cat!

20 lb test line, eh? Any info as to what kind of tackle? That must have been one hell of a ride...Glad the thing is alive and well. Hope it gets treated well in its new environs. Kids will freak out about seeing it!

Somebody put David BEeard under 24 hour surveilance!

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Wow...amazing! I saw this article recently about these guys down south who're real big on 'noodling' --- stand around in the muddy water and reach down into all sorts of holes on the bottom and wiggle their fingers hoping for a big cat to seize their hand so they can then wrestle 'em to the surface. Geez, some 40 lb catfish suddenly engulfs part of your lower forearm.....what a blast! Then every once in awhile you stick those fingers in the hole and there's a snapper in there who quickly removes a couple of 'em!! Even better!!!

[DTMX]

Already been done...

[Noj]

A local in Oroville told me there are catfish the size of Volkswagons at the bottom of Lake Oroway. A diver sent to inspect the dam came back up scared as shit after seeing them, and a submarine was brought in to finish the inspection. Or so the story went...

[Big Wheel]

That thing is only 121 pounds?? Judging by its sheer size I would have guessed it to be about 200-300.

[mgraham333]

Already been done...

Simpsons did it!

[Brandon Burke]

Wow...amazing! I saw this article recently about these guys down south who're real big on 'noodling' --- stand around in the muddy water and reach down into all sorts of holes on the bottom and wiggle their fingers hoping for a big cat to seize their hand so they can then wrestle 'em to the surface. Geez, some 40 lb catfish suddenly engulfs part of your lower forearm.....what a blast! Then every once in awhile you stick those fingers in the hole and there's a snapper in there who quickly removes a couple of 'em!! Even better!!!

You should see the film....

[scottb]

A guy here at work says he's seen that pic before and says it's an internet hoax.

Speaking of hoaxes, did any one see THIS

about the Alaskan Grizzly?

The third picture is added picture which is gross enough on its own but not related to the bear. The Bear was actually ONLY 10.5 feet tall and weigh about 1000 lbs instead of the 12.5 ft and 1600 lbs reported. He did not really charge the guy and he hadn't eaten two human in the past 72 hrs. Still that's one big bear!!

[7/4]

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

[BruceH]

That thing is only 121 pounds?? Judging by its sheer size I would have guessed it to be about 200-300.

I agree. In the picture, the thing LOOKS a lot heavier than 121!

[Aggie87]

My apologies if this is indeed a hoax.

I've been trying to figure it out since posting it too. It's not clear to me what is actually a hoax though. There is even a link to an ESPN Article about the catfish that was caught in Lake Texoma, apparently back in Jan 04.

That picture may not correspond to the fish that was actually caught, but there apparently WAS a 121 lb catfish caught at Texoma. This is the fish caught at Texoma:

The original picture is apparently from a French Website, though it's still sorta fishy, pardon the pun. The originator (a Dutch guy) claims to have caught it in the River Po in Italy. Does that pic look like the River Po??

Edited December 15, 2004 by Aggie87

[Aggie87]

There are some fascinating pictures on the french website, by the way, of other huge catfish. This one is in the Rio Ebro in Spain, picture taken some time earlier this year.

Edited December 15, 2004 by Aggie87

[Aggie87]

220 lbs, also River Po, Italy:

[7/4]

220 lbs, also River Po, Italy:

What kind of fish is that?

[Aggie87]

they're claiming it's a catfish, as are all the fish on that site. It looks different.

[7/4]

they're claiming it's a catfish, as are all the fish on that site. It looks different.

I guess there's many types of catfish, I just know the local North American types.

[scottb]

I don't know if I would call that hoax. If that fish isn't made of rubber, that's no hoax. If the "real" fish from Texoma weighed 121 lbs that one in first picture from the Po River must be 300.

These fish may help explain how Jesus fed the multitudes

Sallie Sue: "Hey, Bubba how many d'ya catch? Your Mom 'n them is coming over to eat tonight."

Bubba: "Just one."

Sallie Sue: "ONE! You stupid, good fer nuthin, lazy, no fish catchin' son of a..." (she sees the catfish) "... that'll do as long as your Uncle Henry don't come. Fire up the pot Bubba we got us a fish to fry!"

Edited December 15, 2004 by scottb

[Jazzmoose]

Just thinking of how many hush puppies you'd need to go with that thing is making my head swim...

[JSngry]

http://www.davidbeards.com

History of the “Catfish King”—David Beard

David Beard, a living testimony of the “American Dream,” is a self-made man who is as modest about his present state in life as he is proud of the mother, family and friends who helped him achieve his success. From his humble beginnings in Hughes Springs, Texas, where he walked away from high school at the age of 14 because his family couldn’t afford to buy him shoes, to his present position as CEO of the largest farm raised catfish restaurant chain in the world, Mr. Beard has stayed true to the lessons his mother taught him as a child. Her early instructions about cleanliness, pride, and hard work are the basis for the success of David Beard’s catfish restaurants, which are scattered over several states. Mr. Beard opened his first restaurant in 1969 in a shotgun style building, which seated 120 people and rented for $150.00 per month. The restaurant was located on Highway 155 near Ore City, Texas. He opened the restaurant close to his home because he liked to eat catfish and was certain he could cook it better than anyone else around who was serving catfish. In those early days, his mother made the hushpuppies from her own recipe, a recipe his restaurants still use today along with their famous tomato relish. Either Mr. Beard, or his brother, Jerry, would haul the live fish from Arkansas or Louisiana in large minnow vats they carried in the back of their pickup trucks. David and Jerry would cut up the fish daily, using a process of hand washing the fish in clean, clear, fresh water, two, three, and sometimes more times, to bring out the flavor of the fish. Mr. Beard also did the cooking, while his sisters and other relatives helped in the restaurant. From the very beginning, the business was truly a family affair. Back then cooking every night except Wednesday and Sunday, Mr. Beard served his “mouth-watering catfish” to the people of East Texas and miles beyond, including other states. As his reputation grew, people flocked to the rural East Texas restaurant and stood in line to wait for a seat—sometimes for hours in poor weather. He expanded the restaurant twice, but that didn’t seem to solve his problem. In 1974, when the owner didn’t want to sell the building, Mr. Beard bought 10 acres down the road. To finance the move, Mr. Beard borrowed as much money as he could at the time and built a 13,500 square foot restaurant that would seat 550 people. The David Beard’s Catfish Village continued to flourish, so the Beards bought a bobtail truck to haul the fish, laying the groundwork for today’s vertical operation in Ore City, Texas that includes a full office staff, manufacturing division and a construction division, as well as a commissary and a catfish processing plant in Hughes Springs, Texas. With lines of people still waiting for some of that “mouth-watering catfish,” Mr. Beard decided to open his second Catfish Village restaurant in Longview, Texas. When the second restaurant was successful and the original restaurant’s business continued to be just as good as before, Mr. Beard elected to open even more restaurants (including fast-casual concept called Catfish King) that continues to this day, and, as they say, “the rest is history.”

Edited December 16, 2004 by JSngry

[JSngry]

http://www.epexperts.com/news_index1283.html

EEOC Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Great American Foods for $81,000

Ore City, Texas-based Great American Foods Corp. has settled and EEOC sexual harassment lawsuit for $81,000. The company operates the David Beard's Catfish King restaurant chain in Texas and Oklahoma. In its lawsuit, the EEOC alleged that managers at a Catfish King in Idabel, Oklahoma, sexually harassed a waitress and that, despite repeated complaints to company executives, the company failed to take prompt and effective measures to end the harassment. In addition to paying the monetary settlement, the company must provide anti-discrimination training to its workers.

Hooked and landed!

[7/4]

No relation, but I want an order....

[JSngry]

It's REALLY good stuff. Especially the pickled green tomato relish they serve as a side. YUM!

[chris olivarez]

Just thinking of how many hush puppies you'd need to go with that thing is making my head swim...

Jazzmoose,Jazzmoose.