# Monster Warsaw in 80 ft of water



## RichG (Jul 15, 2009)

http://www.newsherald.com/sports/daniels-75666-bay-city.html

Found this article regarding the huge Warsaw caught out of Bay City. 

Pretty sure I would have spent some time getting my potential World Record straight before I went back out fishing.  Actually, seems like we saw their boat sitting at the dock when we got back shortly after noon.


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## Brushcreek (Jul 15, 2009)

man that's a whopper! what kinda idiots would not weigh a fish like that!?


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER (Jul 15, 2009)

holy smokes...that is a huge fish!


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## How2fish (Jul 15, 2009)

That's a bunch of grouper cheeks right there!


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## jonkayak (Jul 15, 2009)

idiots for sure.....

Any swimmer gone missing around St. George lately?


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## ryanwhit (Jul 15, 2009)

a warsaw in less than 40 fathoms??  you sure it wasn't a marlin??


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## Mechanicaldawg (Jul 15, 2009)

Here's an interesting thread from Florida Sportsman with a couple more photos:

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/thread?id=878070&page=1


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## RichG (Jul 15, 2009)

Interesting thread.  Plenty of disagreement on the species.

I don't claim to be any sort of expert on fish identification.  All I know is what I was told about the fish and what is reported in the newspaper.

Beyond that, it is one big fish.  I thought folks might find it interesting.


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## dawg2 (Jul 15, 2009)

RichG said:


> http://www.newsherald.com/sports/daniels-75666-bay-city.html
> 
> Found this article regarding the huge Warsaw caught out of Bay City.
> 
> Pretty sure I would have spent some time getting my potential World Record straight before I went back out fishing.  Actually, seems like we saw their boat sitting at the dock when we got back shortly after noon.



That looks like a Jewfish, not a Warsaw.  I wonder how they came up with "Warsaw"????


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## TurkeyManiac (Jul 15, 2009)

Maybe it's just me but I don' want to hunt or fish anything that can live 25 years....Jeez
Seems like they have been around that long, they earn a reprieve...
Good for them though.
" back home we got a taxidermy man....he gonna have a heart attack when he sees what I brung him!" -Quint


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## atwdmb (Jul 15, 2009)

Bay City is where we go every year, gonna have to locate that reef next time...


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## shakey gizzard (Jul 15, 2009)

Where were they from?


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## bigkga69 (Jul 15, 2009)

its a Warsaw because a FWC biologist ID'ed it, those guys caught it last week when we were in Carrabelle, its real, he came from about 76-77 ft of water, you can differentiate the two by tail shape and colors....


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## Capt. Richie Lott (Jul 15, 2009)

hummmmm. I better start checking all those Goliath a LOT closer that I am releasing over there VERY carefully. I think we released one the first time I was there this year. I was sure it was a Warsaw, but we didn't want the problem if it wasn't. When they get that big, the ID gets shady between the two. NICE FISH!


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## dawg2 (Jul 15, 2009)

cathooker said:


> That is not a jewfish.....goliath or whatever you want to call it.



Have you ever caught one?  I have.  A dive buddy and I  speared a bunch of them when we lived overseas.  It is a Jewfish/Goliath.  Not a Warsaw.  Go google "Jewfish pics" and I am sure the internet has plenty to prove me right.  Also, it would be virtually unheard of to catch a Warsaw in 80' of water.


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## florida boy (Jul 15, 2009)

Its a warsaw but I promise you it didnt come north of the "40 break" . That would be like proving you caught a wahoo in the flats . I grew up fishing down in that area and go 30 + times a  year offshore and have never seen one come up from less than 350 ft.


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## Capt. Richie Lott (Jul 15, 2009)

I have caught several very large Goliaths... I hope those guys knew what they were doing. The Positive ID is pretty tough at that size and the depth range is almost not even possible for a Warsaw.

HOWEVER, I wasn't there to know for sure, and CONGRATS to the group that caught the fish.


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## florida boy (Jul 15, 2009)

OK I am going back on the warsaw. On florida sportsman forums it compares it side by side to a jewfish and a warsaw on the other side and its pectoral fins are way to big to be a warsaw . I have seen several game wardens not be able to identify fish in my box .


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## HUNTING GA (Jul 15, 2009)

Truely a mammoth of a fish.
I'm like Capt. Richie, to hard to ID between them. 
I would have had to release him to fight another day.


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## caught (Jul 15, 2009)

Whatever species they have, it was an awesome catch. Based on the second picture, If I had to id I would say Jewfish. Cold water upwellings will bring them into shallower water, at least on the East Coast. This one came out of 120fsw last month out of Jacksonville.


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## captbrian (Jul 15, 2009)

its def a warsaw....have high doubts as to 80ft on a public wreck......just saying


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## caught (Jul 15, 2009)

captbrian said:


> its def a warsaw....have high doubts as to 80ft on a public wreck......just saying



really? CHeck out the comparison pic on the other forum. Old Goliath pic with Dan McMahon's Warsaw on the other side. I would say definately an illegal catch!


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## dawg2 (Jul 15, 2009)

caught said:


> really? CHeck out the comparison pic on the other forum. Old Goliath pic with Dan McMahon's Warsaw on the other side. I would say definately an illegal catch!



I agree.


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## Capt. Richie Lott (Jul 15, 2009)

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=376335

Whoops. Looks like someone could get a phone call... In this thread I pasted above by razor1, THE SAME LODGE, SAME DEPTH, SAME DOCK. Make your own opinions. Check out the video's in that thread....


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## Colby (Jul 16, 2009)

Yep, that's a Jew.  The Guide should have known better!


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## Gadget (Jul 16, 2009)

caught said:


> really? CHeck out the comparison pic on the other forum. Old Goliath pic with Dan McMahon's Warsaw on the other side. I would say definately an illegal catch!





Jewfish for sure!


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## Capt. Richie Lott (Jul 16, 2009)

The Warsaw has a HUGE dorsal spine on his back that sticks up above the rest... On that florida sportsman thread, you can clearly see it on one of the posts about 1/2 way down the page. He is holding up that spike on his dorsal fin to show everyone there is no argument, it's a warsaw in that particular Pic. These two fish are TOTALLY different in nearly every way, except for they both get HUGE.

I will add, the jewfish are a PAIN IN THE NECK when you get into some good Red Snapper and Lane Snapper fishing. They gang up and will rob every fish you catch. That is what happened with these guys, and if I had to guess, I know exactly where they were fishing and that rubble is known well for having Goliaths on it.

I wish they would open a day or two a year on them, even if you had to buy a tag like we do with deer hunting. They need to be thinned out a shade or two. They have taken over the Gulf.


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## Gadget (Jul 16, 2009)

Capt. Richie Lott said:


> The Warsaw has a HUGE dorsal spine on his back that sticks up above the rest... On that florida sportsman thread, you can clearly see it on one of the posts about 1/2 way down the page. He is holding up that spike on his dorsal fin to show everyone there is no argument, it's a warsaw in that particular Pic. These two fish are TOTALLY different in nearly every way, except for they both get HUGE.
> 
> I will add, the jewfish are a PAIN IN THE NECK when you get into some good Red Snapper and Lane Snapper fishing. They gang up and will rob every fish you catch. That is what happened with these guys, and if I had to guess, I know exactly where they were fishing and that rubble is known well for having Goliaths on it.
> 
> I wish they would open a day or two a year on them, even if you had to buy a tag like we do with deer hunting. They need to be thinned out a shade or two. They have taken over the Gulf.





I agree, easy to see the difference, here's another pic of the same warsaw from above.


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## Capt. Richie Lott (Jul 16, 2009)




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## bouymarker (Jul 16, 2009)

TurkeyManiac said:


> Maybe it's just me but I don' want to hunt or fish anything that can live 25 years....Jeez
> Seems like they have been around that long, they earn a reprieve...
> Good for them though.
> " back home we got a taxidermy man....he gonna have a heart attack when he sees what I brung him!" -Quint


from where i'm sittin', that's funny!


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## caught (Jul 16, 2009)

Here ya go
http://www.newsherald.com/news/possible-75810-blooper-probes.html

I hate to speak without all the facts but I am 90% sure Dr. Koenig is an idiot.


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## HUNTING GA (Jul 16, 2009)

I think from the post I could now distinguish between the two fish.  Thanks for the pics showing the diferences.
Now when were down out fishing and hoist one up I can make the call. 

Goliath for sure.

Caught how's the new boat handle?


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## Capt. Richie Lott (Jul 17, 2009)

Yeah, Dr. Koenig is 90% trying to protect his job right now. He knows he screwed up. I don't see how there is ANY question... THE SPINES TELL ALL!


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## Gadget (Jul 17, 2009)

caught said:


> Here ya go
> http://www.newsherald.com/news/possible-75810-blooper-probes.html
> 
> I hate to speak without all the facts but I am 90% sure Dr. Koenig is an idiot.


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## dawg2 (Jul 17, 2009)

Capt. Richie Lott said:


> Yeah, Dr. Koenig is 90% trying to protect his job right now. He knows he screwed up. I don't see how there is ANY question... THE SPINES TELL ALL!


No mistake there!!!


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## FishingAddict (Jul 17, 2009)

Gadget said:


> I agree, easy to see the difference, here's another pic of the same warsaw from above.



Actually, that picture you just posted is from a completely differnent poster showing that the fish that the fish in question is indeed a GOLIATH/JEWFISH!

I repeat....that picture with the big dorsal spike IS NOT the same fish we are talking about!!

It's more proof that they kept a Goliath.


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## Gadget (Jul 17, 2009)

FishingAddict said:


> Actually, that picture you just posted is from a completely differnent poster showing that the fish that the fish in question is indeed a GOLIATH/JEWFISH!
> 
> I repeat....that picture with the big dorsal spike IS NOT the same fish we are talking about!!
> 
> It's more proof that they kept a Goliath.





Yes, that's what I was trying to show.




caught said:


> really? CHeck out the comparison pic on the other forum. Old Goliath pic with Dan McMahon's Warsaw on the other side. I would say definately an illegal catch!




The fish I posted is Dan McMahon's Warsaw, the same fish on the far right from this post, not the one in question.

The fish in question is the middle fish in this pic.


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## jonkayak (Jul 17, 2009)

Is it just me or does the Goliath on the left have four lines on the gill plate (or what ever you call it) and the Warsaw on the far right has only one? Look and you'll see the fish in the middle has four also.


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## dawg2 (Jul 17, 2009)

jonkayak said:


> Is it just me or does the Goliath on the left have four lines on the gill plate (or what ever you call it) and the Warsaw on the far right has only one? Look and you'll see the fish in the middle has four also.



Is it just me or is the fish in the middle a Goliath?


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## deadend (Jul 17, 2009)

That could have been my stringer inside the fish.


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## Dpsmith (Jul 21, 2009)

someone is gonna be in trouble when the truth comes out! those comparison pics tell it all!


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## Mac (Jul 27, 2009)

Glad I was not the one that caught that fish.


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## Russ Toole (Jul 27, 2009)

*Here is a warsaw we caught off destin in 250' ft of water.*

I just cant believe a warsaw would be that shallow.  I cant blame the guys for keeping a fish that size, thats a once in a lifetime lucky achievment, even if it was a jewfish.  That would be hard to let go.  This one was 90 lbs, just a baby.


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