# eating big catfish?



## sheephead (Mar 31, 2012)

I've never ate a catfish bigger than 5lb. but it is one of my favorite fish to eat. If any of you guys have ate big ones like 20lbs and up gimme some feedback. Do they taste muddy? Do they have more pollutants in them? I heard of guys putting them in kiddie pools and runnin a garden hose 24hrs. to filter mud out and then havin big fish fries. I couldn't imagine the size or thickness of a fillet from a 35lb flathead! Also, I've only ever ate channel cats, whats a flathead taste like? the same??? thanks for any info


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

Generally guys don't eat the big ones, as they are harder to find and funner to catch. In my experience its also true that the big ones taste pretty nasty. I've never kept a cat over 10lbs for the table, but I've had big ones at a couple fish fry's and I could tell a big difference. One guy named Jack that held fish fry's at Marsh lake had me try a piece of fish that was from a 40lb flathead, he said "here try this one" I took a bite and thought it was a joke, "did you just have me eat mud??"


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

generally, fish that big taste terrible. but, one time i caught a bunch of big cats and i procrastinated and didnt cook them for several days. then when i did, the muddy, fatty taste they had was mostly gone. and that was using saltwater.


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## sheephead (Mar 31, 2012)

thanks for info Jimmymac. I dont really fish for monster cats,but I know what your saying bout letting the biggies go to fight another day. Normally I keep a few that I pick up fishin for other types of fish. On another note, some rivers in central and eastern PA I've heard they have a bounty on flats cuz they are destroying smallmouth bass and other game fish populations. Don't know if thats fact or not though. I guess the flats were'nt native but considered invasive to those rivers.


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## slimdaddy45 (Aug 27, 2007)

Its all in how you clean them I ate a 56 # flat and it was good theres some yellow looking meat on top of its back you gotta cut that out and soak the oil out for 2-3 days in saltwater normaly I dont keep fish that big but it was in bad shape after getting it in and it died so I was not going to waste it so if rhere cleaned good they are good eatin the fillets was so thick that I laid them out and like cut steaks out of it


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## slimdaddy45 (Aug 27, 2007)

slimdaddy45 said:


> Its all in how you clean them I ate a 56 # flat and it was good theres some yellow looking meat on top of its back you gotta cut that out and soak the oil out for 2-3 days in saltwater normaly I dont keep fish that big but it was in bad shape after getting it in and it died so I was not going to waste it so if rhere cleaned good they are good eatin the fillets was so thick that I laid them out and like cut steaks out of it


it was the one in my avatar


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## 1bowhntr (Mar 17, 2011)

i guess its got to start sometime if you have never eat a catfish over ten pounds you will never know what a bigger one taste or if you say they generaly taste bad you are taking somebody elses word for it if you keep them alive as long as you can cut their tails off hang them up let them bleed out skin them cut them up in to pieces or nuggets about twice the size as a chicken nugget deep fry them how ever you want you will never know the difference.


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## tadluvadd (Feb 19, 2012)

Never tried to eat the big ones.one thing i did find out though,the big ones reek!i caught this 30 plus shovel head once,and my boat literaly stunk for weeks.ive caught alot of channel cats and they dont exactly smell like lilacs,but this guy smelled like a bag of butholes.not shure if it was the spiecies,the bottom from which he came,or just his size that made him/her that way.i couldent imagine cleaning it,let alone putting it on a plate.lol


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## TimG (Jan 31, 2010)

You'll be ingesting a bunch of mercury and pcb's. Can 't avoid it if you eat fish, so the best route is to eat younger fish where levels are lower. Probably not a good idea. Gimme some panfish or smaller bass any day.


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## catfish_hunter (May 31, 2005)

Eat channel cats UNDER 5lbs...leave the flatheads go!!!


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## sheephead (Mar 31, 2012)

Do any of you trophy cat anglers know the growth rate of flatheads in ohio climate with sufficient food supply? I have a 14in Redtail cat in fish tank at home thats not a year old,and it wasn't 3inches when I got it.He can eat 50 1inch goldfish in a few hours. He eats until goldfish tails are hanging out of his mouth.Serious predator! If you've ever seen one they're similar in ways to flats only from Amazon. He gonna outgrow tank soon. Really cool fish!


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