# Food for thought - Wels Catfish



## NKUSigEp (Jun 21, 2007)

Just a thought here - what do you guys think about introducing Wels Catfish into some of the waters around here? I realize you'd have to match 'em up to a similar environment that they're used to in Europe, but just think: 100 lbs is about average for these fish and 200 and 300 pounders are possible.

I know it probably won't happen, but what do y'all think?


----------



## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

It won't happen, nor should it.


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

Just exactly how many native fish do you think monsters like that would gobble up on a daily basis? People around here worry about White Bass eating baby Walleyes and Muskies eating Largemouth. I'll take a wild guess and say that this would be a little bit of a problem.

MC


----------



## jason454ci (Dec 27, 2005)

Sure would be great to have them here but there is a reason they are not here.


----------



## Sleprock (Dec 16, 2005)

would they eat carp?


----------



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Just think about the results from the carp, white perch, goby and now the potential of total invasion of those flying carp. How long would it be befor cats that large would clean out a lake or section of a river and then stop growing for lack of food. Have you ever worked hard at fishing for large flatheads? Nothing wrong with large flatheads like Katfish and Magis catch on a regular basis.


----------



## NKUSigEp (Jun 21, 2007)

Shortdrift said:


> Just think about the results from the carp, white perch, goby and now the potential of total invasion of those flying carp. How long would it be befor cats that large would clean out a lake or section of a river and then stop growing for lack of food. Have you ever worked hard at fishing for large flatheads? Nothing wrong with large flatheads like Katfish and Magis catch on a regular basis.


Nothing wrong with 'em at all! Largest I've caught was a hair under 25 lbs. so I can only imagine what a 50/60/70/+ would be like. I wouldn't think the Wels could reproduce as fast as carp or gobies, but I definitely agree with ya on the food source - they don't get that big eating worms (except Grass carp eat grass & algae and look how big they get...).

I just think it would be interesting...

Of course this all stems from reading the posts of snooty Europeans bragging about how big their catfish are and making fun of flatheads and blues, saying how "puny" they are. Funny thing is...I'd like to see them try to catch one. LOL


----------



## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

bad idea, non native introductions cause severe problems like shortdrift mentiond, think about gobies and silver carp. if you want a giant catfish push for catch and release managment, historically blue catfish grew to a reported 300+lbs, both flatheads and blues already grow over 100 and thats with the piss por managment we have today, just imagine how big they could get if they were left to grow, maybe not 300 but i dont think 200 is impossible. just dont go throwing the idea around about introducing wells, the core and the dnr have had thier stupid moments, like introducing silver carp as weed managment, next they'll think wells are carp managment.....


----------



## NKUSigEp (Jun 21, 2007)

riverKing said:


> bad idea, non native introductions cause severe problems like shortdrift mentiond, think about gobies and silver carp. if you want a giant catfish push for catch and release managment, historically blue catfish grew to a reported 300+lbs, both flatheads and blues already grow over 100 and thats with the piss por managment we have today, just imagine how big they could get if they were left to grow, maybe not 300 but i dont think 200 is impossible. just dont go throwing the idea around about introducing wells, the core and the dnr have had thier stupid moments, like introducing silver carp as weed managment, next they'll think wells are carp managment.....


I wasn't aware of that! I do see the effects of bad management though and it irks me more than a little when guys lug around their trophy catfish they just caught showing it off and getting pictures, "tossing" it around cause they can't hold onto it while it's flopping around, rubbing off all their slime and suffocating the thing. Imagine you just getting done running a marathon and now someone is going to put a bag over your head so you can't breathe for a half hour.

Alright...back to the post - a buddy of mine is a diver and has gone down to some of the sunken barges in the Ohio. He's always got a story about a catfish sneaking up behind him, head the size of a truck tire, but it's always too murky to see the whole body. I could imagine why no one catches 'em...they eat 5-10 lb. fish for dinner and just the bait would be enough to pull your rod in the water. But yeah...I didn't know that blues and flatheads got over 200 or so lbs. way back when. Hmmn...


----------



## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> It won't happen, nor should it.


Nuff' said.


----------



## Katmandu (Mar 3, 2007)

riverKing said:


> bad idea, non native introductions cause severe problems like shortdrift mentiond, think about gobies and silver carp. if you want a giant catfish push for catch and release managment, historically blue catfish grew to a reported 300+lbs, both flatheads and blues already grow over 100 and thats with the piss por managment we have today, just imagine how big they could get if they were left to grow, maybe not 300 but i dont think 200 is impossible. just dont go throwing the idea around about introducing wells, the core and the dnr have had thier stupid moments, like introducing silver carp as weed managment, next they'll think wells are carp managment.....


I agree that the Corps and dnr have had "stupid moments", but I believe Silver and Bighead carp came from private hatcheries in the deep south and were introduced into the Mississippi system after major flooding in the 1990's....and it is the dnr that prohibits moving fish and animals or stocking illegally into public waters. I do agree with you, just thought they do enough foolish things on their own, they don't need any extra thown on them I have seen video of wels cats and man I would love to fight one, but I think I'll go to Europe someday and do it and until then just ease my pain with our big blues and Flatties.


----------



## BMustang (Jul 27, 2004)

The Europeans are welcome to keep them as far as I'm concerned.

They look like half flatheads and half eels.

I think it would be like fishing for 100 pound bowfins (or the old waterdogs that we used to catch.)


----------



## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

the silvers were orignally introduced by the core into some sloughs and lakes in arkansas back in the late 60's early 70's as a experimental form of vegetation control. it was also the early u.s. fish and game that introduce common carp as a food and sport fish in i think 1867, that year may be off though. they also brought and moved around brown trout that in many cases outcompeted our native brook trout and droped rainbows in streams that had native goldens and cutthrouts. they prohibit the movement of invasive species after they figured out it was bad when they did it

magis and fishman have it right though


----------



## Katmandu (Mar 3, 2007)

I'll second that!


----------



## pendog66 (Mar 23, 2005)

it wont happen and i hope it doesnt


----------



## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

Instead of bringing in fish from other countries, why don't we treat our big catfish (blues and flatheads) like the trophy fish they are. If we would do that, then I think it would be possible to catch catfish between 100 and 200 LB. We don't need any funny lookin other country fish.

If you are going to consider a catfish from elsewhere, why not consider the cats from South America. They get huge and actually look like catfish. I say no to them also.


----------



## Sleprock (Dec 16, 2005)

would they eat carp???


----------

