New Mississippi State Record Blue Cat

Started by mygreenihc, April 13, 2022, 08:00:52 AM

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mygreenihc

ANGLER CRUSHES BLUE CATFISH STATE RECORD



According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Facebook page, there is a new record holder in the state for blue catfish.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Fisheries Bureau has certified a new state record blue catfish. Eugene Cronley, the lucky angler from Brandon, caught the 131 pound fish on April 7, 2022 from the Mississippi River near Natchez. Mr. Cronley said that it took him forty minutes to land the huge fish, "it is truly a fish of a lifetime."

The fish shattered the previous rod and reel record of 95 lbs. caught by Dakota Hinson in 2009 and is larger than the trophy record blue catfish of 101 lbs. caught by the team of Freddie Parker and Brad Smith in 1997. Interestingly, both of those fish were also caught from the Mississippi River near Natchez.

Mr. Cronely caught the fish with a rod and reel using skipjack herring as bait.


coldfront

really cool to see how those blues are 'rebounding' ... that or anglers are just a lot more smart (and some of our electronics help 'find' them too)...

the missouri river rebounded nicely after they changed commercial fishing regs...  and that's a good thing as those big blues do 'crack' on larger prey.  blues aren't just 'big channel cats'.  they seem more active in colder water... and once read a really cool fisheries study that looked at growth rates by age of blue cats.

seems when they got to a certain size (around 30" if I recall correctly) their growth rates accelerated.  the fisheries folks thought it was because they could now successfully handle larger prey (think asian carp, etc)

the cat guys know and are really good at figuring out how to catch the big girls and get them back unharmed...

perhaps in our remaining lifetimes we may yet see a 200# blue?

Mike Cork

I've watched a lot of video of these giants being caught, some from kayaks  :o One guy had 5 rods out and three of them running at the same time  ~roflmao

Obviously this one didn't make it, but they are doing well and I'm with you CF, might see a 200 pounder one day...

Fishing is more than just a hobby

Dobyns Rods - Monster Fishing Tackle
Cork's Reel Service

coldfront

Quote from: Mike Cork on April 13, 2022, 09:36:01 AM
I've watched a lot of video of these giants being caught, some from kayaks  :o One guy had 5 rods out and three of them running at the same time  ~roflmao

Obviously this one didn't make it, but they are doing well and I'm with you CF, might see a 200 pounder one day...

one of the realities of 'certifying a catch' for record status is that OFTEN the fish is sacrificed.  if you follow muskie guys, they're all really pretty committed to release alive... and stories are out there of world record class fish released without certification.

for sure a pretty personal choice.

with regard to bass, many anglers are chasing them from bass boats with functioning livewells.  that ups the odds considerably for the fish.  but with bigger, possibly older fish, the more they're handled, the more they're stressed... the higher liklihood of delayed mortality.

it's just the reality.

Mike Cork

I totally understand the loss of fish. In a predator species like this giant cat, the removal of the behemoth my actually invite room for a couple more to get to that super growth period in their life cycle.

Same with bass. So many argue letting the big ones go. But it's the big ones that prevent the 1 pounders from making it to 4 pounders because of food supply. I've heard the arguments that giant bass eat bigger bait than the one pounder, this is true, but there are times of the year when shad are the only food source and how many thread fin does it take to feed a ten pounder versus a one pounder....

Man I get on my soap box too easy LOL I like catch and release for tournaments but when out enjoying the lake, we all need to take a few more home.

Agreed - many trophy bass are lost due to improper photo taking, handling, riding in a livewell in extremely rough water at WOT, improper livewell management (O2 and temp), the list goes on. At least the giant is let go to die in peace with dignity.  :'( :'(

Fishing is more than just a hobby

Dobyns Rods - Monster Fishing Tackle
Cork's Reel Service

coldfront


Mike Cork


Fishing is more than just a hobby

Dobyns Rods - Monster Fishing Tackle
Cork's Reel Service