# 103 Lb Ocmulgee River Flathead Catfish



## basslure

Mr Tom Head caught this 103 lb Flathead Catfish jug fishing, This would have been a new state record if caught on rod and reel, Current record is 83lbs


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## Jeff C.

Great googly moogly!!!!!!!!!


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## Kingfish2

I know Jeff i cant believe it either... is that an '86 teal green Safari van man I haven't seen those in years!!

Just kidding that is one huge fish, I would have stuck a hook in its mouth connected to my pole and got that record.


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## Jody Hawk

I've never seen a catfish that big, that thing is huge !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## UXO

Wow...that's really all I can come up with to say.


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## Nitro

One less predator of the Redbreast sunfish- GONE!!!!!!!!!

Nice Cat. I hope they eat every morsel...Congrats to the angler!


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## BLACKJACKMTMAN

Holy Moly!!!   Can get quite a few catfish fingers off that bad boy.


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## Lindseys Grandpa

That would be a lot of fun on a rod and reel, dont know how long it would last .


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## Money man

Is Ocmulgee Indian for "Home of freakishly large fish?"


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## Dewaholic

Hmmm, exactly where was this at. i mean, put the spot on google maps or something. Im sure there is more out there to break that record. May have to use a salt water rig but hey.


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## hogtrap44

I dreams of catching one or two that big!


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## Crooked Stick

*Man*

How big wass the jug???


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## Spurhunter1

Unbelieveable!!!!!! WOW


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## fredw

Gollleee...that is a huge catfish.  Congratulation to Mr. Head on a fine fish.


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## robuga

Holy Moly!!! Nice!


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## j_seph

So what happened to this 70yr old catfish?


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## hatchrooster

j_seph said:


> So what happened to this 70yr old catfish?



I'd say by looking at it its dead and maybe some one ate it.Hopefully if it was still alive they turned it back.


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## Sultan of Slime

j_seph said:


> So what happened to this 70yr old catfish?





hatchrooster said:


> I'd say by looking at it its dead and maybe some one ate it.Hopefully if it was still alive they turned it back.


AWESOME FISH!!

We are the only ones on here who wish that it was released or put in a tank somewhere huh?


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## Money man

j_seph said:


> So what happened to this 70yr old catfish?



I think it was culled in the interest of saving the bass population and small children in the area.


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## Dixiesimpleman32

big old goodun.i like jugging  i can only imagine what it was like chasing that one around.congrads to him


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## Gut_Pile

Man that's unreal right there! That thing could eat me!


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## HacksawJimWagons

Money man said:


> Is Ocmulgee Indian for "Home of freakishly large fish?"




close....its native for Bubbling Waters..


Which part of the Ocmulgee did this giant come from?....anybody know?...

i was fishing the Ocmulgee today....i gotta know where that thing came from....

what county?


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## anglerEd

Wow!!!


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## devil-dog

wow - nice catch Tom.


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## chiefsquirrel83

wow!!!!!!!!!


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## Bugpac

Maybe someone like bass pro is tanking it, It is doubtful it is still alive... He would have had to fill the boat full of water to make a live well...


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## puddle jumper

No way that fish could weigh 103lbs,,,, Only looks 96lbs to me...
Puddle

J/K, Thats a fresh water monster


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## Chris S.

"55 gallon jug",maybe....BEAST From the deep right there.Those fish live quite a while,even out of water so it is possible they kept it alive.


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## Chris S.

HacksawJimWagons said:


> close....its native for Bubbling Waters..
> 
> 
> Which part of the Ocmulgee did this giant come from?....anybody know?...
> 
> i was fishing the Ocmulgee today....i gotta know where that thing came from....
> 
> what county?



Probably downtown macon....


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## shakey gizzard

Chris S. said:


> "55 gallon jug",maybe....BEAST From the deep right there.Those fish live quite a while,even out of water so it is possible they kept it alive.



 I bet theres more mercury in that fish then a 20lb thermometer.


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## caveman168

Im intrested too in knowing where the fish came from, just because I've fished the Ocmulgee all my life. You dont have to post specifics just the county will do.


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## Benito

Wow - unbelievable fish.....Would love to know what y'all did with it. Can/should you eat a fish that big (meaning is it safe?) No idea, haven't heard of one that big from around here. But like you say, could you even keep it alive in a live-well? 

Either way, great catch...Wow!

BEN


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## ArmyTaco

Goodness. I guess I am going to have to upgrade my limb lines. They are only #123 test. Please what county!! I know further sout on the Ocmulgee there is some big uns and I know there are plenty 20-30's around most of it. But daang.


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## caveman168

The tag on the truck says Houston Co, but that does'nt really mean anything.


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## striper commander

Beast.


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## mriver72

Thats a great fish !!!!!!!


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## jonkayak

Sultan of Slime said:


> AWESOME FISH!!
> 
> We are the only ones on here who wish that it was released or put in a tank somewhere huh?



I can agree with you. Its a big cat and the bigger they are the worst they taste.


Jon


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## Hoggy0341

I learned how to drive a stick shift in a Volkswagon that looked just like that. Same size and everything.


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## Flathead-Hunta

Holy cow...thats amazzing. I have run lines on that river before and left without catching a single fish..always saying"there ain't no fish in there.." guess I was wrong! He had to have a big net and a big hook and parachute cord


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## ranger370

I think we need a bigger boat!!!!!!


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## brett30030

I heard this was what they were using for bait with a 1oz egg weight and a #1 hook:


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## Cletus T.

That thing is monsterous!!!!  I bet it could eat a baby cow or two.  Congrats to the angler!


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## Old Dead River

Kingfish2 said:


> I would have stuck a hook in its mouth connected to my pole and got that record.



might be a georgia other tackle record. there's always honorable mention for larger specimens which are acquired with different methods



Nitro said:


> One less predator of the Redbreast sunfish- GONE!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Nice Cat. I hope they eat every morsel...Congrats to the angler!



In the past I've never understood the antipathy directed towards flatheads by Georgian redbreast fishermen. I've got a lot of family in NE Missisippi and NW Alabama. Flatheads are endemic to the Mississippi watershed, particularly to the Tennesse River system and you never hear about bream fishermen in those parts being disenfranchised or upset. THEY'RE NATIVE!! So that means that regardless however destructive they may be to a particular constituencies fishing agenda they're worth preserving. Maybe those larger rivers can handle more biodiversity and better accomodate apex predators like flatheads without detrimentally compromising the populations of fish lower on the totem pole, i.e. bream.

One thing I have recognized is that the rivers where most of these disgruntled redbreast fishermen are present just so happen to be extremely polluted, e.g., Ocmulgee, Satilla, Altamaha et-al. As it goes these so happen to be the rivers that have become primo flathead  enclaves. I'm sure it's been suggested that if more of the flatheads in these troubled waters were harvested then the bream populations would rebound, but why harvest a fish that's virtually inedible due to heavy metal contamination etc.  What's the consumption advisory, a meal a month? Warnings about consumption of fish over yay so many inches (they've absorbed and retained more contaminents due to their size and amount of exposure due to age)?? As the cookie crumbles it's not good. The ultimate problem is the pollution. 

If the fish were as safe to eat as those in the Oconee (as far as we know LOL) then there would be room for more limbliners/juggers and yeoman rod n' reelers to exploit more of these cats to better the redbreast, the redbreast fishemen's feelings, and their own freezers. 

On the other hand, maybe the pollution serves the catch n' release trophy hunters interests best, ppl like sultan and joseph. In that less courageous (quicksilver is scary) and well informed fishermen will pass on those ,otherwise delicious, mercury laden filets. Then again, if the pollution was a non issue there may also be plenty of room in these rivers for all three constituencies, redbreast fishermen, limbliners/rod n' reel exploitationists, and catch n' release trophy zealots.

Food for thought.

p.s. if it were my fish I would've liked to have seen it donated to cabelas or one of the proper aquariums, maybe even the one in Chattanooga. Of course we know what happened to Tim Pruit's record bue cat en route to Kansas City, and in spite of catfish being much more harty (sp?) than bass keeping that fish alive during transit and after arrival might be impossible, esp. if it spent a lot of time writing on a jug. Bass Pro presently doesn't accept flatheads due to their apex predator status. I'd consider getting the guy who did the lanier record to try his hand @ a skin mount, just make sure he didn't paint it grey. Alternatively I'd take measurements, photos and let her go. It wouldn't be fit to eat if all the research holds true.


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## papahaas

wow


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## Old Dead River

Great fish! We're talking Loch Ness monster stylings!

p.s. there's a table in the Infishermen Catfish annual that demonstrates relationships between flathead mouth size and what size prey it can eat. The results are startling. A flathead much smaller than you think could eat George Perry's world record bass. Amazing stuff.


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## Mr. Fishunt

*Flathead*

Just a question.
Are flatheads native to the Ocmulgee?

Regards,
Mr. Fishunt


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## Lawnmowerman

What a fish!!!
Congrats to the catcher!!
May you have many, many great meals from her. Down here in the Ocmulgee, pollution, mercury isn't a real issue. I'd have that big girl fillet'd up in no time! 

Fish fry my house!! 
The bigger the flathead, the better they taste, IMO.


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## Randy

Nitro said:


> One less predator of the Redbreast sunfish- GONE!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Nice Cat. I hope they eat every morsel...Congrats to the angler!



Yep and people wonder why the redbreast fishing is not as good as it use to be.


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## Hunter Blair

i wanna see the Jug he caught it on... that thing could hold down my 15" long pool noodles all day long if it wanted to.... heck of a fish...


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## ArmyTaco

Cletus T. said:


> That thing is monsterous!!!!  I bet it could eat a baby cow or two.  Congrats to the angler!



If its eating baby cows I know where a cow field is on the Ocmulgee...guess I will have to start settin my lines up there where I have seen cows in the river..yes I said cows IN the river..dead ones, live ones, stucks ones...


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## ArmyTaco

Mr. Fishunt said:


> Just a question.
> Are flatheads native to the Ocmulgee?
> 
> Regards,
> Mr. Fishunt



Not that I know of. Thats why so many bream fishers hate em. Redbreat are very protective, so when big flattie comes up they do not budge and get ate up unlike other pan fish that will run. From my knowledge anyway.


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## alligood729

UXO said:


> Wow...that's really all I can come up with to say.



me too......


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## Mechanicaldawg

Great catch!

I hope no one ate that lifetime supply of thermometer filler but I sure hope it is graveyard dead.

Kill 'em all.


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## rockwalker

they used the same drums they did to catch that big ole" shark a few years ago in that movie


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## Mechanicaldawg

Mr. Fishunt said:


> Just a question.
> Are flatheads native to the Ocmulgee?
> 
> Regards,
> Mr. Fishunt



http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Assets/Documents/fisheries/SatillaRiverFlatheadFactSheet.pdf


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## j_seph

Blah...Blah...Blah save our bream, I have fished Ocmulgee an Altamaha and had no trouble catching bream for bait!


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## Mr. Fishunt

*Ocmulgee*

Mechanicaldawg,
I know of the problem regarding the Satilla and Altmaha rivers, however, the DNR study that you reference has no mention of the Ocmulgee...
I have always respected your conservation minded posts and threads, so , I will await for your reply.

Regards,
Mr. Fishunt


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## Mechanicaldawg

I've fished them as well and have no problem catching flatheads and throwing on the bank for the buzzards.


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## Mechanicaldawg

Mr. Fishunt said:


> Mechanicaldawg,
> I know of the problem regarding the Satilla and Altmaha rivers, however, the DNR study that you reference has no mention of the Ocmulgee...
> I have always respected your conservation minded posts and threads, so , I will await for your reply.
> 
> Regards,
> Mr. Fishunt



Fishunt,

If you read the page I linked to you would read the following:

"Flathead catfish are native to the Mississippi, Mobile and Rio
Grande river drainages. Their range likely expanded when efforts
to provide a new fishing opportunity led anglers to illegally introduce
them to new river systems, including the Altamaha and the
Satilla."

The Ocmulgee is not a part of the Mississippi, Mobile or Rio Grande river drainages.


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## Randy

Mr. Fishunt said:


> Mechanicaldawg,
> I know of the problem regarding the Satilla and Altmaha rivers, however, the DNR study that you reference has no mention of the Ocmulgee...
> I have always respected your conservation minded posts and threads, so , I will await for your reply.
> 
> Regards,
> Mr. Fishunt



No but it did say they were not native to the Ocmulgee and I'd bet with the research done on the Satilla and Altamaha indicating that they are a detrement to bream that the same thing applies to the Ocmulgee.


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## Mechanicaldawg

The Ocmulgee is part of the Altamaha River System.


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## Mechanicaldawg

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to take ANYTHING away from Mr. Head's catch!

It's an awesome fish!


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## Lawnmowerman

Randy said:


> Yep and people wonder why the redbreast fishing is not as good as it use to be.



I'm lost here,,

Are yall saying you'd rather catch a dozen little redbreast, rather than a monster cat?,,

Who are the majority pulling for, the lil redbreast, or monster catfish? 

I got lost in the conservation part somewhere,,,


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## Randy

Lawnmowerman said:


> I'm lost here,,
> 
> Are yall saying you'd rather catch a dozen little redbreast, rather than a monster cat?,,
> 
> Who are the majority pulling for, the lil redbreast, or monster catfish?
> 
> I got lost in the conservation part somewhere,,,


I don't really fish for catfish that much but that is not the issue here.  The issue here is a non-native species has been introduced into a river system and has greatly impacted it.  Can we do anything about it?  Probably not, just like the spots that are begining to take over the rivers.  But we know these non-native species affect the native species.  Either by eating them up (flathead vs. redbreast) by competing with them for availabe forage and even by inbreeding with them.  My comment was not to try and downplay this man's catch in any way but to say I was glad he did it not just becasue it was a huge fish but that he just saved a bunch of little redbreast's lives.


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## TurkeyManiac

**I shoot spikes and basket 8's. 
**I refuse to shoot a jake, they are too easy.
**Hunting a foodplot is NOT hunting over bait.
**Catching a big sow bedding bass is the best for eating.
**Gobblers are super easy to kill on private land. Real hunters hunt WMAs.
**I pass up 2yr old birds


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## Mechanicaldawg

Lawnmowerman said:


> I'm lost here,,
> 
> Are yall saying you'd rather catch a dozen little redbreast, rather than a monster cat?,,
> 
> Who are the majority pulling for, the lil redbreast, or monster catfish?
> 
> I got lost in the conservation part somewhere,,,



Implying that the only issue here is flathead v. redbreast is misleading.

Flatheads eat everything in large numbers.

I've read that the native eel population is in decline due to the flathead. Eels are a prime forage for native stripers.

They eat channel cats, mudcats, bass, ducks, geese, crawfish-if it moves, they eat it and they eat a lot of them.

It was a bad idea to illegally stock them in Georgia and I am all for ridding our waters of as many of them as is possible.

I love catching them and I hope I am the man that catches the last one in Georgia.


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## shakey gizzard

Mechanicaldawg said:


> Implying that the only issue here is flathead v. redbreast is misleading.
> 
> Flatheads eat everything in large numbers.
> 
> I've read that the native eel population is in decline due to the flathead. Eels are a prime forage for native stripers.
> 
> They eat channel cats, mudcats, bass, ducks, geese, crawfish-if it moves, they eat it and they eat a lot of them.
> 
> It was a bad idea to illegally stock them in Georgia and I am all for ridding our waters of as many of them as is possible.
> 
> I love catching them and I hope I am the man that catches the last one in Georgia.



Thats not gunna go over too well when I tell the flyfishing forum were going to slash the trout in the Hooch.


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## Mechanicaldawg

shakey gizzard said:


> Thats not gunna go over too well when I tell the flyfishing forum were going to slash the trout in the Hooch.



Why? 

Are they illegally stocking trout in the Hooch?


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## crackerdave

j_seph said:


> Blah...Blah...Blah save our bream, I have fished Ocmulgee an Altamaha and had no trouble catching bream for bait!



Maybe I'm wrong - but weren't you in some big debate a while back about whether or not to release big catfish? Just wondering.


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## Sultan of Slime

Does anybody know how to contact this gentleman? I am getting reports that he was one of my customer at the blast and he caught this fish on my "Catfish Reaper Bait Enhancer"?


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## shakey gizzard

Mechanicaldawg said:


> Why?
> 
> Are they illegally stocking trout in the Hooch?



They are not native.


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## shakey gizzard

Brook trout are the only native species of trout in georgia.


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## shakey gizzard

Sultan of Slime said:


> Does anybody know how to contact this gentleman? I am getting reports that he was one of my customer at the blast and he caught this fish on my "Catfish Reaper Bait Enhancer"?



I think he used one of them fatties!


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## Sultan of Slime

I just spoke with Mr Thomas Head and is a very nice gentleman. He did not use the reaper to catch that monster cat on the reaper but he is awaiting his shipment of the reaper and will put it to the test next week when he goes fishing! He also wants everyone to know that it was caught on a blue gill attached to a trotline and not a jug!


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## Mechanicaldawg

shakey gizzard said:


> They are not native.



Nor do trout destroy every native being the encounter.

Kudzu and flatheads are the result of people thinking with their dipstick.


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## Chris S.

Randy said:


> I don't really fish for catfish that much but that is not the issue here.  The issue here is a non-native species has been introduced into a river system and has greatly impacted it.  Can we do anything about it?  Probably not, just like the spots that are begining to take over the rivers.  But we know these non-native species affect the native species.  Either by eating them up (flathead vs. redbreast) by competing with them for availabe forage and even by inbreeding with them.  My comment was not to try and downplay this man's catch in any way but to say I was glad he did it not just becasue it was a huge fish but that he just saved a bunch of little redbreast's lives.




What in the world does an inbred flathead/redbreast look like?I'm sure someone has a pic to show us....


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## BuckHunter 34

hOLY MOLY THATS BIG


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## Big Country

Thats what I thought Sultan, never heard of anyone jugging in the river. 13wmaz says it was caught close to Warner Robins. Great catch!


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## caveman168

Old Dead River said:


> might be a georgia other tackle record. there's always honorable mention for larger specimens which are acquired with different methods
> 
> 
> 
> In the past I've never understood the antipathy directed towards flatheads by Georgian redbreast fishermen. I've got a lot of family in NE Missisippi and NW Alabama. Flatheads are endemic to the Mississippi watershed, particularly to the Tennesse River system and you never hear about bream fishermen in those parts being disenfranchised or upset. THEY'RE NATIVE!! So that means that regardless however destructive they may be to a particular constituencies fishing agenda they're worth preserving. Maybe those larger rivers can handle more biodiversity and better accomodate apex predators like flatheads without detrimentally compromising the populations of fish lower on the totem pole, i.e. bream.
> 
> One thing I have recognized is that the rivers where most of these disgruntled redbreast fishermen are present just so happen to be extremely polluted, e.g., Ocmulgee, Satilla, Altamaha et-al. As it goes these so happen to be the rivers that have become primo flathead  enclaves. I'm sure it's been suggested that if more of the flatheads in these troubled waters were harvested then the bream populations would rebound, but why harvest a fish that's virtually inedible due to heavy metal contamination etc.  What's the consumption advisory, a meal a month? Warnings about consumption of fish over yay so many inches (they've absorbed and retained more contaminents due to their size and amount of exposure due to age)?? As the cookie crumbles it's not good. The ultimate problem is the pollution.
> 
> If the fish were as safe to eat as those in the Oconee (as far as we know LOL) then there would be room for more limbliners/juggers and yeoman rod n' reelers to exploit more of these cats to better the redbreast, the redbreast fishemen's feelings, and their own freezers.
> 
> On the other hand, maybe the pollution serves the catch n' release trophy hunters interests best, ppl like sultan and joseph. In that less courageous (quicksilver is scary) and well informed fishermen will pass on those ,otherwise delicious, mercury laden filets. Then again, if the pollution was a non issue there may also be plenty of room in these rivers for all three constituencies, redbreast fishermen, limbliners/rod n' reel exploitationists, and catch n' release trophy zealots.
> 
> Food for thought.
> 
> p.s. if it were my fish I would've liked to have seen it donated to cabelas or one of the proper aquariums, maybe even the one in Chattanooga. Of course we know what happened to Tim Pruit's record bue cat en route to Kansas City, and in spite of catfish being much more harty (sp?) than bass keeping that fish alive during transit and after arrival might be impossible, esp. if it spent a lot of time writing on a jug. Bass Pro presently doesn't accept flatheads due to their apex predator status. I'd consider getting the guy who did the lanier record to try his hand @ a skin mount, just make sure he didn't paint it grey. Alternatively I'd take measurements, photos and let her go. It wouldn't be fit to eat if all the research holds true.



The Ocmulgee used to be a great redbreast fishery before flatheads were introduced according to old timers. Even I can remember going there with my dad as a kid and coming back with a stringer of fine roosters. According to what i've always been told, flatheads are not native to the Ocmulgee, Altamaha, or the Satilla. As of now the Satilla is our best redbreast fishery in the state, but recently flatheads have been caught from there also. I hope I'm wrong but I think that they will decimate the redbreast population there too. As far as pollution goes, I didnt know these rivers were so polluted, they always seemed as clean as any other body of water to me. According to the fishing regs book mercury contents in fish are naturally occuring. Three generations of my family have ate fish from those rivers all their life and so far most of them have lived long healthy lives. One other thing about flatheads is that the meat never gets tough no matter how big they get, unlike a channel cat. I have ate 5lb channels that were tough as shoe leather,  but have never had a tough piece of flathead. I do enjoy fishing for flatheads, but I will keep and cook every one I catch with the hope that maybe I'm helping to balance things out. I sure do love catching those redbreasts as well. Also DNR shocks flatheads in the Ocmulgee and takes the big ones out every few years. More food for thought!


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## j_seph

crackerdave said:


> Maybe I'm wrong - but weren't you in some big debate a while back about whether or not to release big catfish? Just wondering.


 That would be I, and same mindset. Also crap like Mechanical dawg mentioned about catching them and throwing on the bank for buzzards is a crock.


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## j_seph

The following is excerpts from a study by Paul R. Turner and Robert C. Summerfelt over a period of 16 months in 1967-68. It was conducted on Lake Carl Blackwell in Oklahoma.
Sexual maturity of flathead catfish determined by age class was studied. Age IV females were sexually immature. Age class V-VI-VII were found to be sexually mature at rates of 90%-88%-94%. This may indicate that some females may be 10 years or older before reaching maturity. 25% of age class IV were sexually mature and all males age V and older were mature. 
Spawning took place when water temperatures were from 24-27 C (75-80 F). Nest sites were secluded rock outcroppings or submerged timber. 
This study was the most detailed thesis on catfish reproduction but was correlated by studies conducted by Munger/Wildes/Follis in Texas in 1989. Data also agreed with McKinley and Deacon 1959. 
The Texas study was instrumental in regulations in Texas to increase size limits to 24 inches or more for legally kept flatheads. Texas Parks and Wildlife calculated that at 24 inches 84% of flatheads are sexually mature and this would allow sufficient natural reproduction to augment their stocking efforts. 
Texas was one of the first states to make serious attempts to hatch and stock flathead catfish. For a period up until 1979 Eggs were collected from the wild or brood fish were allowed to spawn naturally at hatchery sites. Spawning sucess was low and in 1979 Texas experimented with hormone injections to increase spawning success. Injections of HGG improved spawning success and were continued. 

I recently corresponded with a Hatchery manager (Ken Neubrand} in Missouri and using the injection techniques on captured flatheads, he has reached very good spawning success. He told me that wild fish caught with limblines incurred less stress than netted flatheads and produced a better spawn. 

I have observed that flatheads prefer nesting sites with the best cover they can find to defend the eggs from predation. Holes in the bank such as beaver dens or unedrwater barrels or caves made from large overlapping rocks are preferred. Dense underwater brush that makes it difficult for other fish to get to the eggs are is also a preferred site. 
In 1967 45% of the sexually mature female flatheads did not spawn. The ovum were re-absorbed into the fishes bodies. Low LSI and GSI from females which did not spawn indicate that there was a nutrient transfer back to the liver of fish which re-absorb their eggs. 
This seems to suggest that females who were not feeding well prior to the spawn had a systemic response to help regulate body weight and liver function. By not spawning they provided their bodies the LSI needed to sustain fat in their bodies and specifically in the liver. If this theory is true then populations of flatheads can vary in their reproductive performance based on their overall health and availability of food. Drought and flood or other adverse conditions that stress the fish will cause a decline in their ability to spawn.
The fact that not all mature females spawn, answered questions I had about fish with eggs in them long after spawning occured. In most states flathead catfish are not stocked so releasing big flatheads is essential to recruitment of the species for the future. 

The average number of eggs for all females studied was 1200 eggs per pound. Although the number of eggs per pound decreased as body size increased the percentage of viable eggs increased with body size.
Simply speaking larger females produced more eggs by volume and at a rate that would hatch better than smaller females eggs. This correlates with common reasoning that larger flatheads would produce better spawns. A female of 50 pounds or more might produce a 300,000 to 400,000 eggs with most of them hatching. If 100 of those baby flatheads reach their first birthday it would be considered a very successful spawn.


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## Flathead-Hunta

blippity blippity blip..congrats on the catch!..and just cuz you don't have the skill to catch a big cat, only tiny bream, don't mean its the flatheads fault...geez.


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## Bradley_G

seems like to me everyone who is complaining about the catfish eathing their favorite bream or redbreast are only mad because they are not the ones killing and eating piles of them, and probably each of them are responsible for removing more of that same species than this catfish.
perhaps DNR will begin carrying cattle prods to shock the real big mouthed "invasive species" that kills and eats the most fish from Georgia waters - Anglers!
I think that all fish have more right to be in the water than us, they were at least made to breathe there. Eat some if you want, but at least be somewhat responsible. 
seriously though, did ANY one of you who opened this thread not dream about how fun it would be to catch that beast?


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## boohoo222

Chris S. said:


> What in the world does an inbred flathead/redbreast look like?I'm sure someone has a pic to show us....



after intensive scientific research the results of our flathead/redbrest testing is as follows


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## boohoo222

another great story about a great catch turns into more childish argueing


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## Old Dead River

Mechanicaldawg said:


> I've fished them as well and have no problem catching flatheads and throwing on the bank for the buzzards.



you should take up bowfishing!

as for the study, i stopped reading with confidence and enthusiasm when they said that sunfish were exclusive to north america. Well...that simply isn't true. 

Are they indigenous to north america? Yes of course. But we all are well aware of the fact that technically Largemouth Bass are sunfish (not really bass atall) and they're everywhere from cuba to mexico and even in Japan. Other proper sunfish are present abroad as well. They're not necessarily native but they've been widely introduced elsewhere.

 Interesting factoid - possession or trade of bluegill is prohibited in Germany. there's a reason for that, it's an invasive species issue much in the same way the largemouth is a problem for japanese fisheries authorities.

as for this triploid (3 chromosome)flathead catfish

here's a scenario. let's suppose john smith the illegal fish relocator gets ahold of one or some of these genetically inferior flatheads and inadvertantly dumps them in a native flathead waterway. then what? you're gonna have the sabotage of their native fishery on account of the redbreast. It's amazing how we can go from some creative anglers moving fish around to a laboratory.

If you can't eat them throw them in your garden not on the bank. They're not snakeheads or bighead or silver carp, it's not the same thing. IMHO georgia should be blessed to have them.

p.s. there are commercial fishing industries that have sprung up to target bighead and silver carp, st. louis zoo's biscuits and then some, so maybe letting it lie is just a bad thing altogether. especially if the birds get ahold of it and spread it even further


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## Old Dead River

caveman168 said:


> The Ocmulgee used to be a great redbreast fishery before flatheads were introduced according to old timers. Even I can remember going there with my dad as a kid and coming back with a stringer of fine roosters. According to what i've always been told, flatheads are not native to the Ocmulgee, Altamaha, or the Satilla. As of now the Satilla is our best redbreast fishery in the state, but recently flatheads have been caught from there also. I hope I'm wrong but I think that they will decimate the redbreast population there too. As far as pollution goes, I didnt know these rivers were so polluted, they always seemed as clean as any other body of water to me. According to the fishing regs book mercury contents in fish are naturally occuring. Three generations of my family have ate fish from those rivers all their life and so far most of them have lived long healthy lives. One other thing about flatheads is that the meat never gets tough no matter how big they get, unlike a channel cat. I have ate 5lb channels that were tough as shoe leather,  but have never had a tough piece of flathead. I do enjoy fishing for flatheads, but I will keep and cook every one I catch with the hope that maybe I'm helping to balance things out. I sure do love catching those redbreasts as well. Also DNR shocks flatheads in the Ocmulgee and takes the big ones out every few years. More food for thought!



flatheads are only native to the uppermost NW corner of the Georgia by virtue of the tennessee river draining into some of those streams. Georgia wants that river so badly for more reasons than one. So NO, they're not native to any of these fine flathead fisheries like the oconee, ocmulgee, altamaha, and satilla.

Yes, they're good eating in spite of their size. And I concur with you 100% on the edibility factor. I've tried to eat some blues and channels under 10 lbs that were absolutely wretched. It's not always the case, could've had to do with the fact that some of them were caught in ponds and had been put there from river catches. I think it's pretty well documented that the flathead's flesh is tasty due to them being a more discrimenant feeder than the blue or the channel, they prefer a live, fresh bait. That's not to say they wont bite the dead or the stink. you take my meaning.

Could be about the naturally occuring mercury in part, but why are there no consumption advisories on the oconee river?? at least not the stretch near me. Pollution is a factor. Even the tennesse river is full of bad stuff that got there courtesy of man. If i'm not mistaken the satilla may've had a dioxin problem at one point. In short we've got a lot of dirty rivers in georgia there's no refuting that and it all trickles down so to speak. There's surely a complex concotion of heavy metals, all sorts of industrial waste, poorly treated sewage, raw sewage from spills etc coursing through most of these rivers we've discussed.

I like bream and flatheads mutually. I've long since disbanded comparing them like trading cards. I have respect and interest in most all of our freshwater fish including gar and bowfin. bream are about the hardest fighting fish per pound that i've ever tackled. SO, i'm on the fence. but i sure do like those flatheads HAHAHAHA


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## Chris S.

boohoo222 said:


> after intensive scientific research the results of our flathead/redbrest testing is as follows
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/QUO


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## DuckGodLiaison

*Aftermath*

So alot of you were wondering what happened to this ole Daddy Cat........I'm affraid he wasn't placed into an aquarium.  Too bad, that would have been cool to see him everytime we went to BPS!  The ole guy gave my buddy the head at the local hardware store......Here's the pics.....


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## backyard buck

boohoo222 said:


> another great story about a great catch turns into more childish argueing



that's right a bunch of people arguing about what to do with a fish they didn't even catch.He caught it so he does what he wants with it


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## crackerdave

I'm guessing most of us don't really care - we's jes' havin' a lil fun with the thread.
Maybe I'm wrong again,but I always thought that was allowed - up to a point - unless you were in the "Solemn" [On Topic] forum.I apologize if my sarcasm comes through once in a while - it's not intended to be harmful or toxic  - Just


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## crackerdave

Sultan of Slime said:


> I just spoke with Mr Thomas Head and is a very nice gentleman. He did not use the reaper to catch that monster cat on the reaper but he is awaiting his shipment of the reaper and will put it to the test next week when he goes fishing! He also wants everyone to know that it was caught on a blue gill attached to a trotline and not a jug!



Must have been a _very_ well-anchored trotline.

Jonathan,I sure hope to see some fantastic catches made on your bait - if anybody deserves success more than you do,I don't know 'em.


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## Randy

I can only assume that those who love the flathead being in our rivers also love the hogs and coyotes in our woods.


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## Lawnmowerman

Randy said:


> I can only assume that those who love the flathead being in our rivers also love the hogs and coyotes in our woods.



I don't think coyotes are edible,,, hogs and flatheads though,,


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## Lawnmowerman

I can only assume those that don't like the HUGE flatheads in our rivers, have never caught one, nor tasted one,,


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## auwalker24

Here we go again.......same ole you know what again...see what you started basslure!


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## Old Dead River

that would've been great to have it at bass pro. like i said they are presently not taking them due to problems with them eating a lot of the other aquarium fish. BUT, according to the powers that be they may take steps in the future, in some of their locations, to have a separate exhibit to display flatheads. They're a very popular sportfish despite being hard to display in a small area with a lot of other fish.

wonder if someone might could cure that head. heck as big as that thing is you could hang it over the mantle in a cathedral ceiling, it would look like a member of the African Big Five! hahahhaa


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## Handgunner

I heard it was caught on a Zebco 33 Classic and a cricket.. .












 

Big ol' cat!!!! Congrats to Mr. Head!!!!


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## Lindseys Grandpa

If you skin that head out there are 2 slabs of meat behind the eyes tenderloin of the catfish, only worth doing on big ones.


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## ArmyTaco

Mechanicaldawg said:


> Implying that the only issue here is flathead v. redbreast is misleading.
> 
> Flatheads eat everything in large numbers.
> 
> I've read that the native eel population is in decline due to the flathead. Eels are a prime forage for native stripers.
> 
> They eat channel cats, mudcats, bass, ducks, geese, crawfish-if it moves, they eat it and they eat a lot of them.
> 
> It was a bad idea to illegally stock them in Georgia and I am all for ridding our waters of as many of them as is possible.
> 
> I love catching them and I hope I am the man that catches the last one in Georgia.



I catch plenty of bream on the Ocmulgee...I think the redbreast just get ate more. Also I do not think there is a eel problem. I catch about as much of those slimy little critters as I do bream sometimes. I caught them and finally moved cause I got tired of catching them, only to move and start catching more..


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## ArmyTaco

But I do love catching me some Flatties....they are in the Ocmulgee so deal with it..just keep them out of other spots. I have really tore up some bream in some rivers they are not in but whatever. I catch em anywhere..


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## hogtrap44

Lawnmowerman said:


> I can only assume those that don't like the HUGE flatheads in our rivers, have never caught one, nor tasted one,,


 I've eat boo-coo flathead and wild hog. Da' sho am good


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## massafibassa

It does not take skill to catch a flathead on a set line . I have done it and its exciting to check your lines . Another thing that should be mentioned is the fact that the bream population gets depleted at least three ways if not more , that being from bream fishermen , flatheads and other predators , and from flathead fishermen catching the bream for bait . I would guess that their population would have to be in decline .


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## Old Dead River

as for limblines and jugs. I would agree with that in part. It doesn't require the skill of a rod n' reel but it is labor intensive. it takes a lot of prep work to get those lines made up and bait them etc. there's also a danger factor as well. many a fellow been eatin' up by wasps or snakebit when messing with bushhooks, lines, and jugs. I find no fault in hooks or jugs, but it's so laborious that I only do it if i go with someone that's got the stuff. I'd much rather sit back and wait for a pulldown.

sure lot of factors that affect bream populations. the concept of the "Food Web" is a good means of explaining that.


p.s. yes it is very exciting going to check them, exponentially more exciting than scatching off a lottery ticket.


massafibassa said:


> It does not take skill to catch a flathead on a set line . I have done it and its exciting to check your lines . Another thing that should be mentioned is the fact that the bream population gets depleted at least three ways if not more , that being from bream fishermen , flatheads and other predators , and from flathead fishermen catching the bream for bait . I would guess that their population would have to be in decline .


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## bassboy08

dang what a fish


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## redneckacorn

Well one things for sure it sure is a huge flathead, I knew it was only a matter of time. Get ready Ocmulgee, every flathead fisherman  in south georgia and north florida is coming to you. What about a Flathead tournament, doesn't someone already have plans for one??????


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## ArmyTaco

redneckacorn said:


> Well one things for sure it sure is a huge flathead, I knew it was only a matter of time. Get ready Ocmulgee, every flathead fisherman  in south georgia and north florida is coming to you. What about a Flathead tournament, doesn't someone already have plans for one??????



Nope too much wood in the water...


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## big_bird

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
can anyone read the sign in the 2nd pic?  top left.


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## weaver79

state record caught by my neighbor 2 years ago and he lande a 60 lb this weerkend in the tournament but lost out to Danny who had a 72 lb. Congrats Danny on the big win !! yall all shud fish the 2 tourn put on by wayne county tourism each year we have a great time !! congrats on the 103lb monster its a dream of some of ours


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## hogtrap44

ArmyTaco said:


> Nope too much wood in the water...


 Yep  With all that influx of folks on the river, it's gonna be GOOD biz fo boat and motor repair shops.


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## basslure

DNR Biologists aged the catfish it was 18 years old


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## Spurhunter1

ANY size flathead is OUTSTANDING eating folks. The only shame here is the "cheek meat" was left in such a brute, that is some fine stuff right there!


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## sinclair1

Spurhunter1 said:


> ANY size flathead is OUTSTANDING eating folks. The only shame here is the "cheek meat" was left in such a brute, that is some fine stuff right there!


My neighbor is into cat fishing but he dont harvest the cheek meat, How do you get it and how big does the fish have to be before its worth it. 
I might just go over when hes cleaning and try it if its as good as people are saying.


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## Spurhunter1

You can easily feel it on a cat about 15lbs or bigger. Its a just a pocket of meat on both side of the head. A sharp knife will cut it right out. Just like cutting the meat from a grapfuit really.


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## Gordon

shakey gizzard said:


> Brook trout are the only native species of trout in georgia.



Not trying to nitpick here but - there are NO native trout in GA.

The Brook Trout is actually in the Char family.


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## hogtrap44

WOW


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## ArmyTaco

hogtrap44 said:


> WOW



HAHA.. We will be out and about soon enough..


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## creteus

j_seph said:


> That would be I, and same mindset. Also crap like Mechanical dawg mentioned about catching them and throwing on the bank for buzzards is a crock.



The DNR has been shocking them and throwing them on the banks for years on the Altamaha trying to thin out the population.


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## ArrowSlinger07

Shoo!!!!!


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## flatheadfisherman

creteus said:


> The DNR has been shocking them and throwing them on the banks for years on the Altamaha trying to thin out the population.



Actually, the DNR has not removed flatheads from the Altamaha for years. They are removing them on the Satilla though. They do still shock but now it is to weigh, measure, and release. 
Now, there are some poachers that shock and take fish illegally pretty regular, from what I hear from the locals.


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## ski427

Holy crap Batman!


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## devin25gun

Think I saw that one eating baby hogs swimming across the river one day.  Holy cow that is a big fish.  Don't go in the water for sure.!


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## LTZ25

It would have been nice to see it at bass pro shops Macon aquarium . But I bet it fed the whole trailer park. That must have looked like the movie Jaws when the jug was being pulled in.


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## Old Dead River

creteus said:


> The DNR has been shocking them and throwing them on the banks for years on the Altamaha trying to thin out the population.



i didnt think they did that on the altamaha, but rather the satilla


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## Old Dead River

flatheadfisherman said:


> Actually, the DNR has not removed flatheads from the Altamaha for years. They are removing them on the Satilla though. They do still shock but now it is to weigh, measure, and release.
> Now, there are some poachers that shock and take fish illegally pretty regular, from what I hear from the locals.



you are exactly right. say that's a beast in your avatar, what did it weigh? nice fish.


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## flatheadfisherman

Old Dead River said:


> you are exactly right. say that's a beast in your avatar, what did it weigh? nice fish.



Thank you. It is my personal best on rod and reel. It weighed 70 pounds.


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## mikeys250

Did it ever get posted as to which part of the river it was caught in?


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## LipRipper45

Nice fish!! Must of been a 55 gallon drum he was fishing with..I dont think the barrels in the Jaws movie could have held that beast up..


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