# 41 lb Flat caught from LAKE ERIE



## Nathaniel (Jan 9, 2010)

Picture say's it all guys !! 41lbs I went down today to Avon CEI plant Ran into some fellow team members Denny and his sons Derick and Dustin. They caught wind of this told me to go down to Erie Outfitters bait and tackle to see pics Craig the owner just sent them over to me. I had a verry interesting conversation with him apparently is verry common to pull flats and perhaps the accasional "Blue" yea I said blue ! Not only or specifically at the plants discharge but with in 2-3 mile strech west or east from it !! 
















The guy was fishing for steelhead 8 lb. test tiped w/ minnow. sorry to say fish was kept might be 8lb test line record?? 
Now as far as blue being caught ?? "Show me a pic " seeing is beliving! (CATCH PHOTO RELEASE)


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

R.I.P flaty


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Im sure the blue cats there talkin about are male channels. If they are catchin around eire.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

I agree with ducky on both points, RIP flatty  and also a lot of guys will catch a blue channel cat and call it a blue, but if you look at the anal fin and count the rays you will find that it is a channel. I'm really not that surprised that the flatty was caught out of erie, you have two main rivers that flow into lake erie in which they are thriving in (Maumee and Huron) and you have two other rivers (Sandusky and Portage) in which recent electrofishing outings by the ODNR have shown that flatheads are starting to show up in as well.


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

mistaking big channels for blues happens all the time anywhere in the state, not just in the lake. my friend told me another guy said he caught a "blue" catfish from his pond and although he didn't believe it either, i was immediately skeptical. of course a while later i tossed a piece of cut bait by a log and reeled in a 26 inch channel cat without a spot on it. bet ya anything that was his blue cat! ive also seen this happen at my favorite riffle in the sandusky river where someone gets a big channel catfish with a bluish tint to it and they mistakenly call it a blue cat.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

I've caught a few channels up here in NW ohio where they were 12+ pounds over 30 inches and had a baby blue tint to them. But the best way to tell is to count the rays on the anal fin. Northwest Ohio also has some HUGE channel cats running in it's rivers and Lake Erie, so it is very easy to mistake a channel for a blue.


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## Nathaniel (Jan 9, 2010)

I agree with you all on that ! still waiting for a pic of possible blue wont believe it till i see it.


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## AJ1991WB (Mar 3, 2010)

I'm about the furthest thing from a tree hugger but the going policy on my boat is you catch a trophy cat, you take a picture and throw it back to be caught again. Sure would like to have seen this cat thrown back to fight again.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

got to agree with you guys what a waste of a good fish !!! it should have been released for sure !! I also agree that the fish would have to be a channel cat unless of course someone caught a blue cat and brought it back up north and released it into the waterway !!


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## TIGHTLINER (Apr 7, 2004)

In Ohio you are allowed to keep one Flathead catfish over 35 inches per day!


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

> In Ohio you are allowed to keep one Flathead catfish over 35 inches per day!


we was not sayin it was illegal we was just sayin that we feel the fish of that size should allways be let go, if you want to eat cats get 6 or 7 channels and have at it.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

why WOULD anyone keep a flattie over 35 inches ??? IF i was gonna eat a flattie it would be a smaller one not a 40 + lb fish !!! Like Ducky said eat channels they are better tasting anyways in my opinion !!


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

tcba1987 said:


> why WOULD anyone keep a flattie over 35 inches ??? IF i was gonna eat a flattie it would be a smaller one not a 40 + lb fish !!! Like Ducky said eat channels they are better tasting anyways in my opinion !!


I agree with you on keeping a flathead that big. I wont keep any catfish over 8-10 pounds anway channel, blue, or flathead.

However I think flatheads taste better than channels. I have never eaten a blue and probably never will. I rarley keep a flathead anymore, but when I did they were great and only the little ones (2-4 pounds)


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## Poohflinger (Feb 2, 2010)

Is that a steel head mouted on the wall behind him?


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

sad pictures I had a guy show me a picture of a flathead caught from the rocky river fishing pierI couldnt believe it


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## Ðe§perado™ (Apr 15, 2004)

LOL...You guys are pieces of work. The guys catches a very nice cat and BY THE LAW can keep it to eat and you guys jump all over him about it. Most of you guys never caught a fish that size and he is proud. Nathaniel congrats and enjoy your fish, also he will fry up well.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Read the whole post Desperado, Nathaniel didn't catch the flatty, we weren't jumping on anyone either. It is legal to keep ONE fish over 35 inches per day but that would be your business. If I were to keep flatty's to eat I would practice selective harvest.... Take a couple small ones and put the big ones back. Plus, I have caught fish that big many times before.


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## Nathaniel (Jan 9, 2010)

Just talked to the owner of Erie Outfitters today he's still waiting for those possible Blue pics. He also said a cat angler was up fishing within last couple days and pulled 3 channels over 20lb. 
I'll post them blue pics if they come!!!!! 

"fish on"


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

Fisherman 3234 said:


> Read the whole post Desperado, Nathaniel didn't catch the flatty, we weren't jumping on anyone either. It is legal to keep ONE fish over 35 inches per day but that would be your business. If I were to keep flatty's to eat I would practice selective harvest.... Take a couple small ones and put the big ones back. Plus, I have caught fish that big many times before.


Agreed!

As for 3 channels over 20 pounds in the last couple days....dont believe that one bit...how often is someone posting a picture of a 20 pound channel? 

Only way a blue cat is in there is if it is a run-away from a paylake and again there can't be that many if any up there so the talk of people catching them a lot is BS to me.

I think the guy is just trying to hype his shop as the go to place for information and bait and tackle. Just my opinion though.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Three 20 pound channels, it could happen but i would have a better chance of catchin sturgen in the tusc.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

mybe their scale is realy realy broken.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

A 15 pound channel in Ohio is huge, a 20 lb channel is a leviathan. Catching three in the last couple of days huh? If I were him I would also buy a lottery ticket.


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## nicholasburnsworth (Oct 23, 2007)

It is possible, look at the state record 37lbs. That seems more like a load of crap than catching three 20lb. channels from Erie. I know they are big at Sandusky Bay. we've talked to people that speak of 30 pounders.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

nicholasburnsworth said:


> It is possible, look at the state record 37lbs. That seems more like a load of crap than catching three 20lb. channels from Erie. I know they are big at Sandusky Bay. we've talked to people that speak of 30 pounders.


It is possible...but for someone to just go and catch multiple 20 pound channels in a couple days seems more like folk lore. I know there are big channels up there as there are big channels all through the state but 20 pound channels arent that easy to catch. There are a lot of good fisherman on this site and how often do you see someone posting about a 20 pound channel...a single 20 pound channel?

I dunno maybe the person did catch 3 20 pound channels...and if he did I am definitley jealous...but until I see pictures I dont believe anything. That and they need to be weighed on a certified scale...


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## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

A buddy and I a couple of years ago discovered a place in NW Ohio to catch large channel cats on a consistent basis. I'll post some pics. All fish were released by the way. I'll have to white out the background since I have an agreement with my friend to not disclose the location, and because I know a few guys on here would know where we were fishing.


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## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

Here's some of the fish. I have no idea what they weighed since we just took pics and threw them back. Does anyone know what that sore may be from?


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## husky hooker (Apr 6, 2004)

i still don t believe the state record without proof. not the picture where its got no tail...lol 20 lb cats out of erie...very possible he got three.15lbs out of our lakes is abeauty,and release all them hogs. take a pic and let him go.i never keep a bass, to many bass guys love their sport./// rest in peace you nice flattys, shame


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

sploosh56 said:


> Here's some of the fish. I have no idea what they weighed since we just took pics and threw them back. Does anyone know what that sore may be from?
> 
> 
> > Those are nice channels ecspecially that first picture!! To me I consider those really nice fish...but they aren't 20 pounders. Most people dont realize how big 20 pound channel really is.
> ...


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