# 50#+ catfish GMR



## kraftjd (Nov 21, 2010)

Alright, I just got home from the dam and talked to a few guys. One of them claimed he caught a 79# flathead and a 54# blue from the GMR dam. Have any of you heard of this? I know there's some nice cats there but I didn't know they were that big...


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

He did this recently or just has done it?

I have heard multiple (10+) stories of 50+ # flatties caught there. Don't hear of many blues there but I have heard of big ones being caught at the upper dam and saw a guy catch a 34# blue up there.


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## kraftjd (Nov 21, 2010)

He made it sound like he caught it recently


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## BMayhall (Jun 9, 2011)

kraftjd said:


> Alright, I just got home from the dam and talked to a few guys. One of them claimed he caught a 79# flathead and a 54# blue from the GMR dam. Have any of you heard of this? I know there's some nice cats there but I didn't know they were that big...


50's yes, Bluecat IDK thats a long trip from the Ohio River for a Blue...79? maybe does he have proof or hypn it up just a little


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

I don't doubt that a fish that big could be in there.. I bet half the stories I've been told are at least close to being true. Most of them said they caught the big one on a gold fish.

79lbs is just a large number.. I feel like someone would have a picture of it considering thatd be a record


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## BMayhall (Jun 9, 2011)

treytd32 said:


> I don't doubt that a fish that big could be in there.. I bet half the stories I've been told are at least close to being true. Most of them said they caught the big one on a gold fish.
> 
> 79lbs is just a large number.. I feel like someone would have a picture of it considering thatd be a record


Ohio River Record is 96lbs...79lbs would be a GMR Record


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

I meant for the flat head, isn't it 76.5. The blue would be 96


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## BMayhall (Jun 9, 2011)

Yeah I think your right


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

"I talked to a scuba diver who was looking for a car near the dam, said he seen a catfish big as a volkswagon under there!" 


Sounds like one of "those" stories, lots of ole story tellers in Hamilton. 


I've had guys using wal mart specials, fishing their spinning reels upside down using stink bait in 2ft of water tell me they've caught 50's-60's down there.


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## mjchiodi (Mar 14, 2008)

BMayhall said:


> 50's yes, Bluecat IDK thats a long trip from the Ohio River for a Blue...79? maybe does he have proof or hypn it up just a little


I did catch a 20+lb blue up that way a few years back smallie fishing but 54lbs sounds like a fish story to me.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

I wish I had a dollar for every catfish story I&#8217;ve heard, particularly at the lower dam. I&#8217;m a barber in the afternoons so I&#8217;ve heard a few, 99+% of the time I enjoy listening to the stories even if I am skeptical. I think a lot of people over estimate the size of their fish and on top of that as time goes by the fish sort of grows in their memory. Of course catfish CAN grow that big and there&#8217;s plenty of food at the dam so it is possible but unless I see proof I&#8217;m doubtful. The state record flathead is 76 ½ lb, I think if someone really caught a 79 pounder they would be showing it off at every bait shop in the area. They&#8217;d at least take a picture. I&#8217;m sure there might be some blues there but I don&#8217;t think there is much of a resident population.
A couple weeks ago at the dam I had a guy tell me (completely straight faced) that his brother caught a 20 lb crappie out of the river. I asked him if he caught near the old Fernald plant, he didn&#8217;t get it. He said a few other things but the 20 lb crappie story was the most entertaining.


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## QueticoMike (Sep 25, 2008)

Dandrews said:


> I wish I had a dollar for every catfish story Ive heard, particularly at the lower dam. Im a barber in the afternoons so Ive heard a few, 99+% of the time I enjoy listening to the stories even if I am skeptical. I think a lot of people over estimate the size of their fish and on top of that as time goes by the fish sort of grows in their memory. Of course catfish CAN grow that big and theres plenty of food at the dam so it is possible but unless I see proof Im doubtful. The state record flathead is 76 ½ lb, I think if someone really caught a 79 pounder they would be showing it off at every bait shop in the area. Theyd at least take a picture. Im sure there might some blues there but I dont think there is much of a resident population.
> A couple weeks ago at the dam I had a guy tell me (completely straight faced) that his brother caught a 20 lb crappie out of the river. I asked him if he caught near the old Fernald plant, he didnt get it. He said a few other things but the 20 lb crappie story was the most entertaining.


I am sure the guy meant carp and not crappie. Probably doesn't fish that often and doesn't know any better.


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## katfish ken (Feb 5, 2010)

Fish don't get big by grabbing every bait that is thrown in the water. My dad fished the GMR back in the mid to late 50's ..I know for a fact that there is potential for them to be in that body of water that big.. I've seen pics of some 40-50 #er that he caught back then and released. He never like the big ones to eat, said the had a different taste to them..


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## Jim1848 (Aug 10, 2011)

treytd32 said:


> I don't doubt that a fish that big could be in there.. I bet half the stories I've been told are at least close to being true. Most of them said they caught the big one on a gold fish.
> 
> 79lbs is just a large number.. I feel like someone would have a picture of it considering thatd be a record



Exactly. If I caught a 79 pound catfish, you better believe it would be my profile pic, screen saver...hell I'd even keep a picture of it in my wallet and have a poster-size pic of it in my man cave haha.


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

i wish i had a Dollar for every 50-70lb fish report, dam/scubba diver, broken pole story i have heard from GMR fishermen over the years. i am sure there are a few 50's lurking around somewhere in that river but after fishing the river hard for flatties the past 20 years i have yet to see anything over 40lb north of Hamilton and anything resembling a fish over 50 past the last dam. 

the rivers/lakes in this state that hold the big boys (50+ fish) are a lot more fertile and have a lot more baitfish than the GMR. cant rule out something in the 50-60's reaching the lower Ham Dam from the Ohio river, but i dont think the GMR has the ability to produce a native fish of that size. 

have seen and caught a few blues within a couple miles of Hamilton, one at 30lb and their numbers seem to be increasing. 

my largest GMR Flathead is 37lb and that was south of Hamilton, caught many 30-35lb fish north thru Dayton but thats where they seem to top out in size above the Hamilton Dams. 

a friend of mine caught this fish in 1995 just downstream from the last dam. our scale got wet wading accross the river that day which fried it and couldnt weigh it. its by far the biggest flathead i have seen from the GMR and we guestimated it at that time to be about 45-50lb. 

some morons fishing the same spot that night tried to buy it along with a couple other that we caught so they could re-sell to a nearby paylake. we released them....


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

QueticoMike said:


> I am sure the guy meant carp and not crappie. Probably doesn't fish that often and doesn't know any better.


He probably did mean carp; he was very excited about it. I didn&#8217;t want to burst anyone&#8217;s bubble. Downstream from Hamilton there&#8217;s an old military weapons plant, we used to joke about mutant fish there.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

kraftjd said:


> Alright, I just got home from the dam and talked to a few guys. One of them claimed he caught a 79# flathead and a 54# blue from the GMR dam. Have any of you heard of this? I know there's some nice cats there but I didn't know they were that big...


I talked to a guy yesterday, who gave me a similar story but it was 70 lbs, he said that it wasn&#8217;t he who caught it and he didn&#8217;t say anything about a 54 lb blue. He was a nice guy and really young (20-ish). He DID say that there was a picture taken. I&#8217;d really like to see that picture; no doubt that it was a huge catfish but 70 lbs!? I gotta see it first.


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

sounds like a fernald fish if I've ever heard of one.. I'd really like to see that picture lol


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## zachxbass (Jun 23, 2011)

I caught a 14 lb bluegill out of the GMR.


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## zachxbass (Jun 23, 2011)

j/k in case anyone thought i was serious


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

Dandrews said:


> He probably did mean carp; he was very excited about it. I didnt want to burst anyones bubble. Downstream from Hamilton theres an old military weapons plant, we used to joke about mutant fish there.



Little off topic here, but is there fishable river access at Fernald? I see the little brown sign looks like a park sign when I drive by, never drove up there though... Is it like a park now?


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

zachxbass said:


> j/k in case anyone thought i was serious


You had me going there for a minute!


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

JimmyMac said:


> Little off topic here, but is there fishable river access at Fernald? I see the little brown sign looks like a park sign when I drive by, never drove up there though... Is it like a park now?


Its the Fernald Preserve now, its not on the river but theres a creek that runs by it. I think there are some ponds but I dont know if you can fish there. Ive never actually been in the park either.


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## ChrisB (May 13, 2004)

Dandrews said:


> Its the Fernald Preserve now, its not on the river but theres a creek that runs by it. I think there are some ponds but I dont know if you can fish there. Ive never actually been in the park either.


The creek flows into the Great across the new boat ramp at Dravo park I believe. They dumped uranium into it, amd the ponds by Fernald I'd stay away from if there near the property. I heard many horror stories from my dad's friend who was one of the guys in charge if the massive cleanup. Anyone remeber fishing at Dravo Park 18 years ago and all of the signs warning us not to eat the fish because of high uranium content?


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## treytd32 (Jun 12, 2009)

I would stay as far away from Fernald as you can lol my great grandpa worked there for nearly his entire working life and got cancer from it twice. And in case you think it may have been natural, it wasn't, he received a LARGE settlement out of court from them. You can look up studies about all the goodies buried out there. Natural wells in the area have the capability of taking out entire families.


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