# AMAZING CATCH! Real true story...



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

It finally happened to me... the guy who spends as much time as anyone with a line in the water, got a fish catch that is almost beyond belief. Catch took place around 6:45 PM 8/31/09 on the Sandusky River, just north of Fremont, Ohio. A big thank you to the Wal Mart on Route 53 for allowing me to use the certified scale in the meat department. I kept the fish on ice overnight before a trip to the ODNR Sandusky Research Station for fish biologist Travis Hartman to ID it. I then took the fish to Jim's Taxidermy in Port Clinton. Fremont News Messenger is running the story tomorrow (if it gets written in time for press) or in the coming days... same owners as News Herald in Port Clinton (Gannett) so I imagine it could run there as well. Steve Pollick (Toledo Blade) confirmed he is covering the story either this Friday or the following Friday.

I been busting at the seams wanting to tell the story - but I will try to build the suspense a bit and let it come out, hopefully written by professionals far better then I could tell it. This story will prove you just really never know what might be swimming in the waters. I will provide some exclusive pics to OGF that will not be published anywhere but here... as a little special treat to those that frequent this site.

Even with numerous photos, a couple videos, and actually having the specimen... there will be doubters. That's to be expected because if it hadn't happened to me - I wouldn't have believed it myself.

I hope I haven't overhyped the catch... and hope it makes print so I can talk about the darn thing!!!!

The wife and I are hitting Cedar Point tomorrow... anyone here get the News Messenger in the AM that could call my cell if it's in there?


----------



## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

Congrats on whatever it is!! I am looking forward to the story. You sell yourself short saying you are waiting for a pro, you do a great job with you stories!!


----------



## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

Awe come on Coolwater don't make us wait...lol I can't wait to see what you got into.


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Thanks man, along with them hopefully telling the story better - I also kinda wanted to hold off and let them break it just as kind of a thank you for the interest in the story. I mean they honestly could have made me feel like an idiot or just not give a rip about the local fishing scene... they truly embraced it and expressed genuine interest. I was especially impressed with how fast the news director at the Messenger assigned a reporter - and when the guy contacted me, he totally didn't make me feel like it was 'his assignment' - he really got into it.


----------



## bonsai87 (Sep 17, 2007)

sounds like an amazing catch...cant wait to read about it and see it!!!


----------



## tiffinsmallies (Mar 3, 2005)

Certified scale? And your still on here posting after the scale and your not heartbroken after the weigh-in? Thats awesome, sounds like one for the record books, we just have to wait in suspense for species and exact weight. Congrats on a lifetime catch if my guess is correct!


----------



## BibbsTaxidermy (Aug 31, 2009)

Adam, whatever it is you make it sound awesome!

Can't wait for the story
BTW we could have gotten ya at Bibbs but Jim also does great work!


----------



## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Nice thing about using the scale in the meat dept, the butchers are experienced with putting their thumb on the scale....
The suspense is building on what you caught and what it weighed. Congrats in advance!


----------



## Fish G3 (Jul 16, 2008)

You definitely know how to build some suspense...lol.


----------



## husky hooker (Apr 6, 2004)

Ya ain t even right!!!!!!!


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

everyone catches big sheephead.lol. 




jk, lets have a hint,


----------



## flippin fool (Apr 3, 2006)

i bet its a size 36 boot!  just kidding coolwater. we are gonna have to hit the water together one of these days


----------



## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

ezbite said:


> everyone catches big sheephead.lol.


HAHA....we all do thats whats funny.

The suspense is killing me!!!!


----------



## salmon king (Aug 20, 2008)

Shark?Lake erie monster?or maybee a blue pike?????????LOL just kidding Its killing me too.....


----------



## FISHERBALL (Apr 7, 2004)

What the? What the?


----------



## CarpCommander (Jun 20, 2007)

Lol......wow Adam am I the only one ya told?  I am SERIOUSLY honored!

Trust me guys, it's definately a BIG surprise; no way anybody would guess what it is. 

Hey make sure ya send me some links or post em up on here; I'd like to see how the story is spun. No matter how they tell the tale, the best was hearing the excitement in your voice last nite! 

Enjoy the 15 mins of fame Adam! They don't come around very often.


----------



## Littlelunker (Mar 20, 2009)

Hooking yourself doesn't count as a record (I know I've tried) lol

All kidding aside, I can't wait to see what it is....


----------



## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

whatever it is the suspense is killing me as i know you are a great stream fisherman, i wont even guess as to what it was but congrats an what i'm sure must be a fish of a lifetime!!!!


PS. that computer i bought from you is still running great! thanks again...


----------



## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Who says you can't write a story. I am going to be checking this until I see the answer.

Congratulations on what must be an amazing catch!


----------



## Cordon (Apr 12, 2005)

Really cool!!


----------



## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

I must kow The suspence is killing me. lol 

Cant wait!!


----------



## CatBassCrap (Apr 25, 2008)

Found your story with a little research. I'm not gonna ruin it for ya and I'll let somebody that actually gets the paper or knows more about it post information. Crazy catch around here although I did find a story about another one being caught around here too.


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Uh oh, I guess I shoulda known a catch like this wasn't going to stay a secret long. Word of mouth travels fast... and it is quite the conversation piece. Along with the folks taking cell phone pictures at Wal Mart when it was getting weighed, I had stopped at few places to show the fish... also with the newspaper interview, the stop at ODNR, the drop off at Jim's Taxidermy... quite a few people got exposure to the story. I had phoned my friend Nate who is a grad student at UT - right after the catch to describe the fish over the phone and get an ID, which he correctly did. Besides him and a few relatives, just called Brent (carpcommander) and Matt (krustydawg)... Matt, if you would have answered I was going to stop by so you could see the fish! I really just wanted the story to be a shock to everyone, but the hour drive from Fremont to Huron... had to call a few people to talk about it. Thank God you answered Brent or I probably would have started randomly dialing numbers asking people if they wanted to talk about fishing and what I caught... lol...

So anyways, here we go...

CBC you did good research, thank you for letting me break the news! It wasn't gonna stay a secret for too long... too many folks had seen it!


----------



## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

CatBassCrap said:


> Found your story with a little research. I'm not gonna ruin it for ya and I'll let somebody that actually gets the paper or knows more about it post information. Crazy catch around here although I did find a story about another one being caught around here too.


i've been searching and cant find it!! pm me the link...i will not post it


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Well I'm still going to try to let the story actually be told in the article but basically... I stopped by my parents house after work Monday to fish with my mom for a bit, end up catching a Pacu. The fish weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces on a certified scale and was 20.25" long. Pretty much still in shock as to how and why it was in there - let alone can't fathom the odds of actually catching it after someone flushed or released it. Also interesting they can't survive water under 60 degrees... so in a month or so it would just died and been on the bottom of the river somewhere... I remember reading a similiar story out of Findlay Reservoir #2 this summer, either a Piranha or Pacu and I was like "Yea right, dude prolly just grabbed it out of his aquarium and put it on his hook and called the paper". Glad I never voiced that opinion as I learned that this type of catch can happen. Gotta admit, someone would have to have one heck of an aquarium to pull off something shady with a fish of this size... lol... anyways, it's a REAL catch, I'd swear on anything holy in my life. Sometime in the near future, I will take the footage I shot after the catch and make a video... it's very embarassing though, I sound like a little kid Christmas morning I'm so excited and I also keep saying "Red Bellied Piranha" when that isn't even what it is.

News Messenger Story:
http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20090902/NEWS01/90901013&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL


----------



## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

sweet, very odd catch,congrats! that will be a great conversation piece on the wall for years to come for sure!!!.i'll bet it gave one heck of a battle also...thanks for sharing this great story!!!


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Thanks WW, and also I'm glad to hear that pc is still running good for ya! Told ya it was a good machine that would serve you well.


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

I see the News Messenger posted the story online:

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20090902/NEWS01/90901013&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL


----------



## Littlelunker (Mar 20, 2009)

WoW that is some catch. I remember the one from Findlay #2 (I only live a couple of miles from it, so the Res's are where I usually fish). Thats amazing that a tropical pet fish could survive long enough in the wild waters up here to get that big. Nice trophy man!


----------



## BunkerChunker (Apr 13, 2009)

congrats on the catch. I hope your wife lets you hang it on the wall I'm allowed on dead thing in the house and I wasted it on a jackalope


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Wow! Now, there's something you don't see everyday. Jim's will take good care of you. I have had a few mounts done by him.


----------



## krustydawg (Apr 26, 2004)

Congrats Adam ! Good talkin to ya last night. I don't know what the heck I was doin when I missed your phone call the other night, dangit ! I would have love to see that fish in person. Can't wait to see the mount, Jim will do an awesome job I'm sure. Congrats again, not many people can say they have caught a pacu out of the Sandusky River ! LOL ! P.S. Play the lottery this Friday.


----------



## jake74 (Apr 3, 2005)

Nice catch I would have freaked out.


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

You all know me too well saying I would over hype a big drum catch, you know I totally would! lol...

Thanks for the comments all.

Matt, don't lie - you know you avoid my calls because it's always the same, "When you taking me out on the lake next!?" lol


----------



## krustydawg (Apr 26, 2004)

CoolWater said:


> Matt, don't lie - you know you avoid my calls because it's always the same, "When you taking me out on the lake next!?" lol


HA ! This year has been a shame, I have not gotten out nearly as much as I would have liked to. Oh well, we will get out soon. The best is yet to came, we will get ya out on a night bite trip.


----------



## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Within the past few months some guy just caught one of those shore fishing lake erie in Cleveland, either, 3 5 or 8 had a story on it. weird.


----------



## husky hooker (Apr 6, 2004)

thats so cool...congrats man!!!


----------



## CarpCommander (Jun 20, 2007)

Nice! That' a LOT bigger than I was picturing. Fish of a lifetime for sure! 

Can't wait to see the mount. Congrats again Adam!

Great photo also BTW!


----------



## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

I just opened the paper and saw your picture. That's an awesome catch! I ran upstairs and got on the computer to see if you had posted anything about it. I used to have those fish in my tank that I have, but no i did not release it lol. Sweet catch dude


----------



## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

Great pic and great story. I was sitting here guessing and was thinking sturgeon. The story's even better if you sit back and put yourself in Adam's shoes. Big tug on the line, maybe cat, maybe carp (if you were using doughballs). See the flash of the yellow/orange belly, wonder "what the #$%^ is that?" Get it to shore and realize it's got teeth like a 2 year old. 

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Hoosier Daddy (Aug 19, 2005)

I was going to guess Professor Plum in the Conservatory with the candle stick.

I cannot imagine what I would have done if I caught a fish like that.

Glad it happened to someone who will get so much enjoyment out of it.

I can pretty much gaurantee that will be your PB Pacu out of Ohio waters.


----------



## CatBassCrap (Apr 25, 2008)

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=74236

Here is another one with conflicting stories about it being from Eastwood Lake in Dayton or the Ohio River.


----------



## Clayton (Oct 7, 2008)

Holy cow, cool! I'd love to catch something that weird


----------



## Lazy Eye (Jan 27, 2005)

Let me guess, u caught a bundle of zebra muscles that weighed 50 pounds and had some Gobies attached to it that added that little extra weight to push u over the record, the record in which the boat in front of u just broke, minutes before you landed ur catch. Much to there dismay you were smart enough to have ur catch officially weighed and certified as indeed a record zebra muscle goby combo catch---lol----Am I right???

Mike

http://trophyoutdooradventures.com


----------



## BibbsTaxidermy (Aug 31, 2009)

Well guys here ya go

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990901013

That is fricken bada$$ right the Adam!!!

Wow


----------



## leovpin (Mar 18, 2009)

Coolwater, congrats on the catch! That is pretty unique. I used to fish for pacus at a friends pond back in Brazil. They taste pretty good to! Their diet is primarily fruits sos they are not fishy at all. But I am guessing that one is going on the wall and not on the frying pan


----------



## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Sweet! The "what are the chances" factor really baffles me here, because as you said Adam, it's such a small chance that fish would get caught. These stories are always exciting. A few years ago, someone caught a red-belly out of the Grand. It's on the wall in Grand River Tackle.


----------



## true2plue (Jul 12, 2004)

CoolWater said:


> Matt, don't lie - you know you avoid my calls because it's always the same, "When you taking me out on the lake next!?" lol


LOL!!! I thought that he only avoided my calls!! What an amazing catch Adam!! This couldn't have happened to a better fisherman, glad to see your hard work and time pay off.

BTW...I have never seen a fish with a grill like that! I think he could have flossed!!LOL!!


----------



## WLB (Apr 6, 2004)

WTG Adam! 
The Sandusky grows pretty nasty looking fish.


----------



## ErieAngler (Apr 15, 2006)

I was just swimming in there on Saturday.....one more reason not to do that again!


----------



## krustydawg (Apr 26, 2004)

ErieAngler said:


> I was just swimming in there on Saturday.....one more reason not to do that again!


You got that right especially since it considers nuts as its primary source of food ! Those teeth could do some major damage !


----------



## SummersOff (Feb 11, 2007)

That's pretty crazy and way bigger than the one I saw. I used to work at the Hinkley Lake Boathouse around 10 years ago and someone must have let their pet go in the lake. Needless to say it was caught twice within a week or so and I think the ODNR removed it the second time. That one is a bit bigger though. Really weird teeth on them.


----------



## Fishpro (Apr 6, 2004)

As I walked by my kitchen counter today, I stopped and did a double take when I seen you on the cover of our newspaper. Thats a once of a lifetime catch my friend...at least in Ohio, lol. I want to come see the mount when it done.


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Happy to see others are getting some enjoyment out of the story... thank you for the comments. Couldn't believe how nice they displayed it in both papers, News Herald front page with color picture... News Messenger page 2 but holy crap huge BW photo... fun stuff. I am dying to tell the very detailed story but will do after the Toledo Blade article that is Friday or a week from Friday. The article written was exceptional and I love it... but there are some things a short article couldn't chronicle... there are some very entertaining aspects of the catch and the subsequent travels with the fish until its final destination at Jims Taxidermy. I also promise to make a video out of some of the footage...


----------



## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

So that has to be a state record Pacu?


----------



## BibbsTaxidermy (Aug 31, 2009)

Fishpro said:


> As I walked by my kitchen counter today, I stopped and did a double take when I seen you on the cover of our newspaper. Thats a once of a lifetime catch my friend...at least in Ohio, lol. I want to come see the mount when it done.


Paul, I thought you disappeared! Bout time you came back


----------



## thistubesforu (Mar 30, 2009)

dont know exactly where u caught the fish at but i do know that the warm water discharge by the sand docks doesnt freeze over winter. not saying its quite 60 degrees but could be a possibility where it could of over wintered before. like u said u would need a pretty big fish tank for that beast. congrats unreal.


----------



## kirkad (Aug 19, 2006)

that is awsome good job.what did you catch it on.it makes you wonder what else is in the waters around here.


----------



## ohiohunter43015 (Feb 23, 2009)

That is pretty wild. Congragulations!


----------



## Fishpro (Apr 6, 2004)

BibbsTaxidermy said:


> Paul, I thought you disappeared! Bout time you came back



Nope, I'm still around buddy. Changed your name eh?


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

I was wondering the same thing about that warm water discharge, I guess that could be an explanation - but as heavily as it gets fished would surprise me if it made it through the winter season there.

No state record as I'm sure they don't keep records for species that shouldn't be there... 

Any of you happen to get the Mansfield or Marion newspaper?... along with News Herald and News Messenger I just was told it was in the Bucyrus paper... curious if Gannett ran it in all of their Ohio newspapers?! The date would be 9/2/09... let me know here or PM would be happy to pay for a copy from the other cities...


----------



## thechamp316 (Apr 13, 2008)

CoolWater said:


> I was wondering the same thing about that warm water discharge, I guess that could be an explanation - but as heavily as it gets fished would surprise me if it made it through the winter season there.
> 
> No state record as I'm sure they don't keep records for species that shouldn't be there...
> 
> Any of you happen to get the Mansfield or Marion newspaper?... along with News Herald and News Messenger I just was told it was in the Bucyrus paper... curious if Gannett ran it in all of their Ohio newspapers?! The date would be 9/2/09... let me know here or PM would be happy to pay for a copy from the other cities...


congrats on your catch....and my wife(Dina Munoz) says hi, she saw you in the paper today...


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Cool! Tell her I said hi - it's been a very long time!


----------



## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Here's the catch from Findlay Reservoir #2 this year... took me awhile to find it...


----------



## jmenchhofer (Jan 12, 2007)

Congrats, man! That's a once in a lifetime catch for sure, considering where you caught it. Those teeth are freaky- they look kinda like human teeth!


----------



## catfish catchers (Apr 9, 2009)

thats a cool catch i read about you in the Toledo Blade ... i thought it was hilarious when you asked the guy at walmart if he wanted to sticker the fish


----------



## jb1136 (Sep 29, 2007)

heres the link to the blade article if anybodys interested. Someone caught a piranha in delta..lol

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090911/COLUMNIST22/909110363


----------

