# state record blue cat



## livtofsh

think i caught a state record today 60lb blue cat called odnr and they said i had to take it somwhere and weigh it on certified scale did not no were to take it to . told odnr i didnt want to kill it they said if i had it certified i,d have to kill it anyway?????: so i turned it loose . i have pics if any one can help me to post them


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## fishdealer04

Congrats on your catch, you did what I would have done. I don't get why they would say to get it certified you would have to kill it?! That makes no sense to me that a department that is supposed to monitor the wildlife and protect it would tell you that they would have to kill it to certify it.


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## pendog66

congrats on the catch, i agree its not right having to kill the fish to certify it, as long as they put it on a scale i dont think they need to kill it, its not like your shoving rocks down his throat to make it weigh more.... but then again its stuff like that, that makes the rule the way it is. But congrats on the record


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## misfit

congrats on a nice catch.

there's a bit more to certifying a record than just putting it on a scale.and in some cases,you could have one certified without killing it.just need to get the dnr to work with you on it.


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## neocats1

Congrats on the fish.

Email me the pictures and I'll post them for you. [email protected]

I talked with the outdoor writers association about this earlier. They want to have the stomach contents studied to make sure the fish came from Ohio. I guess they had a Florida bass turned in for an Ohio record and found Florida native plants in its stomach. It was disqualified. But they also agreed that you might get around killing it.

Public pressure is the best way to change these policies. I would have called every newspaper and TV station in the area and told them.


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## KATKING

Congrats on the fish and Congrats on not killing it!


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## livtofsh

Sent Pics To Neocats He,s Gonna Post Pics For Me I Dont Know How To


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## neocats1

Here are the pics of your blue cat.


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## Day81

holy smokes. Those guys do get fat, don't they. Way to go dude!:B


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## monsterKAT11

nice catch! where'd you catch it?


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## livtofsh

thanks neocats for posting my pics i didnt clarify im the guy in black with glasses on, the guy in blue hat is my brother ,the guy in green hat with beard is a freind of ours . last yr my brother caught a 33,45,&51 lbr,s .i can now finally . stop hearing about his big blues


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## Muskyman

Wow! Congrats on a great catch!! 
And thanks for releasing it


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## catfish_hunter

Great fish! Congrats!:B


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## Joey209

Nice fat Blue!


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## Still_Waters...

Nice fish man, and like everyone else said, glad to hear you put it back, but kinda sucks that it's at the expense of a state record, it would be nice to have that as a bragging right.


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## MuskieJim

Absolute MEGA fish. What a sow! And what a guy for putting that thing back! Neocats, I know you are very knowledgable on cats, (or anyone else that feels like chiming in), but how old do you think a fish like this is??


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## TIGGER

What an incredible fish!


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## misfit

> but how old do you think a fish like this is??


it's very hard to estimate age by just weight,or even length.growth rates depend on various factors such as habitat,diet,etc also.but just for s&g i'd say that fish could be anywhere from 15 to 20+ years old.many people believe catfish live to 50 years or more,but that is not the case.based on the research i've done,blues,channels and flatheads probably don't live past their 20's,and any that might,would be a rare fish indeed.


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## truck

Congrats what a great fish :B


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## Mean Morone

Thats a dandy. Where is obvious, but I'm more interested in what bait was used to temp that big girl.


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## Fishpro

Nice fish ...I have to ask though...you were so worried about kiling it, but yet everyone in your boat had to have a picture with it? With all that changing of hands and the time it was out, you may have done it in anyway. Just a thought.


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## livtofsh

all i no is when i put it back in the water it was just ass pissed off as when i pulled it out 10 min in a boat compared to odnr cutting its guts out. i think i may have givin it a better chance . its just sad they have to that because theres so many people trying to cheat the system.


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## I Fish

That is an awsome blue cat. I've caught them up to about 25lbs, and they fight like DEMONS. That musta been fun in the current. How long did it take to land it? I doubt you hurt the fish at all. When I was a kid, we kept 5 blue cats from the Ohio to put in a pond. We wrapped them in newspaper and burlap, drove them over an hour and succesfully released them. They all lived. Oh, and that was after spending the night, and half the day on stringers.


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## Still_Waters...

Yeah, it's a pretty hard thing to kill a catfish in my opinion, we've tossed 'em in a cooler full of nothing but ice after a night of being on a stringer or in a basket, woke up the next morning, and they were FROZEN SOLID, only to have them start kicking as soon as they thawed out. They're a tough fish, that's what makes them fun, I must admit though 10 minutes is a bit much for such a beautiful fish, but it's better than a gutting, and if anything could handle it I think a catfish (or carp for that matter) could handle it.


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## Mushijobah

Awesome fish man, you have the record in my book


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## Day81

yeh dude. you can keep them out of water for a extremely long time. one time at my buddys pond we had to break their necks on a rock because we* couldnt stand watching them suffer at about an hour out of water. extremely hardy fish.


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## I Fish

livtofish, you still haven't said how long it took to land it. Musta been some big net!


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## Fishaholic69

thats stupid ya got to kill it. I would of let it go also. he might get even bigger and live longer! screw that I don't need no plaque or recognition. I am at one with nature. the fish reward me enough by letting me catch them. they know I just want a pic of them and then I am gonna put um back! lol


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## Catman63

Congrats!That's an awesome blue, man! And congrats on letting him go. You'd think ODNR could sure be more helpful about what to do in that situation (and what's with the fatalistic attitude they had?). As far as age i think Misfit's estimate is likely right on the money though i'd say it could possibly (though not likely) even be a few years younger than 15 depending on habitat. With regard to it's survival they're certainly a hardy fish but often it's the age of the fish combined with the length of the struggle to land it that matters as much or more than those ten minutes out of the water. From the way you described it's release i'd say chances are good the fish will recover just fine.


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## Salmonid

What was the "official" scale reading on this fish?? or did it just bury a 50# scale? Heck of a brute and I am glad to see one of this magnitude up where you got him. 
As far as age goes, i do know in Hatchery settings, a 3 year old fish ( spawn at 3 yrs, to some degree but much more successful at 4 years) should be around 15 lbs, ( optimal conditions and plenty of food) I did a lot of research on this since I put some in my pond. After that, hard telling how old this fish is but again, all depends on food availability but I think the 15-18 year old range is right on as well.

Nice job, 
Salmonid


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## pendog66

i agree with mark 15-18 year range but man what a brute... its good to see that the big one doesnt always get away. congrats:B


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## Chuck P.

According to the new Ohio Wildlife magazine, the Ohio State record Blue Cat was just caught and weighed just over 52lbs.


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## fishdealer04

Chuck P. said:


> According to the new Ohio Wildlife magazine, the Ohio State record Blue Cat was just caught and weighed just over 52lbs.


That was certified back in June or July. That guy also kept and killed that fish to have it mounted.


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## mrfishohio

I caught a big one 62# in Nov 04, only I was below Markland, so it was IN/KY water. My son caught a 63-64# bluecat this fall I think maybe the same place you are (might be it's sibling or the same one)
Anyhow, great you released it, in the summer heat one might have to worry about keeping a blue out of the water , but not in the cool weather.
It's going to be real interesting how many blues are submitted for an Ohio record as they most likely will come from the Ohio River which makes them KY fish also. I know the IN/KY bluecat record is the same 106# fish and qualified for both KY & IN as it's shared water. Since OH didn't have a bluecat record due to protected status until recently, I'm sure there will be a flurry of people submitting records. I just hope rather than a bunch being killed there will be a huge brusier sacrificed (over 80#) so there's not a ton of 52# on up turned in. Over 60# is certainly rare & a fish of a lifetime, blues in their 50's while not common, certainly aren't "record breakers" In other words, I hope people don't start killing 50# bluecats just to have a temporary record, as it's sure to be broken with a fish similar to yours.
I know the blues have really picked up this past year & also know of several 60#+ fish caught, so lets hope it's a trend. Tight lines & congrats, glad you got some great pictures of it too. I remember when I got mine up out of 52' deep water & I saw it & thought I'll never get it into the boat. You've brought back a very pleasent memory, thanks. I can't remember the stats, I think it was 31 or 32" girth & 50" long?? I put it on the picture as I finally forgot !! I do remember after a half hour of holding the rod & gaining a foot or two & then it would pull drag & the whole time I was worrying about the hookset & was it going to rip loose. I had that happen on fish I know were huge, but never got to see, so this time I was more patient. When it was time to pose with it I was so worn out I could hardly hold it !

Congrats again ! Your fish would (is) definitely be the new record fish for Ohio !! *Still a record even if unofficial !*


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## Fish-N-Fool

Wow - great fish! Thos things look like sharls coming up to the boat!!!:B 

Age - I am NOT disagreeing with the age estimates posted, but did want to point out some cats live in excess of 30 years although it is rare. I just read this month's Fur-Fish-Game and they had an article looking for a large Blue for an aquarium (Can't remember the state). The old blue in the tank had passed on and they need a replacement. The one that died was estimated by the "experts" at 35 years old. 

I agree with MrFish and hope there aren't a bunch of 50-60lb fish sacrificed by folks trying to get the record. I know of a non-member of this site that has caught 2 blues over 50lbs since November - both were CPRed.
He says he won't turn one in until it oes over 70lbs - he thinks 70 something may stand for awhile 

I'm still trying to get my first one over 30lbs:S


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## livtofsh

my brother & i have caught several 30 lb,rs a few 40,s a 52 and my big brute. what concerns me is every time i catch a large one i have at least 2 or 3 guys tell me how much money i could make selling it to pay pond i am unemployed now and before i sold a fish to a pay pond i would eat it i am also appalled at the number of trot lines i find that have been set and never checked. in 08 i have seen 7 dead rotting blues and 1 huge turtle hanging on abandon trot lines WHAT A FRIGGIN WASTE


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## H2O Mellon

Livetofsh..... Thanks for being responsible in your thinking. I don't care what any one thinks of PayPonds in general, but I despise it when reg anglers take a big Flathead or Blue to one of their places and sell it.


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## 1roofmusky

What an awesome Fish!!!! I don't think the fish was hurt at all. There are some catfish in south america that can move from one body of water to another-OVER LAND!


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## Papascott

Is it legal to sell fish caught from the Ohio with a Kentucky License? I know its illegal for an Ohio Licensed angler?


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## fishdealer04

I think you can only sell a fish if you have a commercial license. I don't believe the average angler can catch and sell fish with a standard fishing license from any state.


As for a record fish- I think its rediculous that you have to kill a fish to have the record. Any fish I catch that I am not going to eat goes back in the water. To have my name on a piece of paper saying I caught a record is meaningless to me. The fact that I was able to catch a fish of that magnitude and have a picture with it, is all that matters to me. That and by me putting it back, someone else could have that opportunity to catch a fish like that.


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## livtofsh

if your in southern ohio they think its ok to do what ever you want like kill 10 deer a night or whatever. ive seen 10 deer on my properety killed in one night the only thing they took out was the tenderloin them welfare folks eat only the best. as for selling fish i dont know what the law is but they sell them anyway if your on the scioto river look for the ribbons tied on a branch you will find 55 gal drums just under the surfice they put them there for the big cats to move in then they harvest them 4 the pay pounds on the ohio river you will fin nets


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## I Fish

The nets on the Ohio are usually for rough fish that either get sold to a cat food company or in a fish market in New York. The pay ponds will buy big cats. Guys I went to high school with used to do it for beer money, the Chinese would buy carp too. The ODNR should set the pay ponds up and burn 'em, they have before.


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## livtofsh

if you can find it theres a guy who nets catfish around ohio brush creek he keeps them in a cage in 07 the water level fell and he did not get there in time to push it into deep water .
one of the guys that runs one of the private camp sites said there was 2000 lbs of dead cat fish in it the game warden told me there always trying to catch the guy but the locals cover 4 him because he pays them


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## BigCatDaddy

Congrats on the huge blue!! You did the same thing i did, i landed my 67 # blue got a couple of quick pics and actually got in the water with him and made sure he was ok! After about 5 minutes he about knocked me over when he took off!


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## OhioHuntr02

What a monster. Awesome catch!


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