How big can blue catfish get in your opinion?

[Catfishboy1995]

If you catch a big one there is a bigger one guaranteed....I voted 200+ Because my friends Grandpa has a picture of a big catfish I am not sure what kind it looked more like a flathead But It looked different that one. It wasn't ever weighed but it was as tall as a 1 story barn in the late 1800's early 1900's He wasn't sure of the date. but the picture is old for sure. it came out of the MO river and was up at Gavin's point dam....Plus there was a member here who Caught a BIG one that I believe could of easily been a WR but he couldn't lift it in the boat.

[fisherman94580]

There has to be 200 pounders swimming around out there somewhere. With all the stories I see on this website alone I just can't see it no other way. If people are still pulling out 125+ every now and again then I believe there's bigger ones out there. The river systems we fish can be massive and can for sure hold something of that size so a 200 lb'er is definitely not out of the equation. It's just a matter of time before we can prove it.

[kitsinni]

I have no doubt there were plenty of blues over 200lbs at one time but in today's overfished, damned up rivers I doubt there are many, if any left over 200. I have no doubt there are some 150+ out there.

[playin4funami]

I think of it this way--- What is the average size human being? probably somewhere around 180 lbs? but does that stop the occasional 800 lber from showing up?

average size blue cat in an adult age? 70-75lbs? what to say we havn't met old fatty yet? a couple hundred lb fish is possible, even likely.

How many fishermen out there have the equipment to haul a 200+ lb fish off the bottom? 1/1000? 1/10,000? yes there are lots of fishermen out there, but even a good number of us don't use gear heavy enough to lift out a 200+ lb fish from his hole, and most likely would think we had a snag and break it off anyway.......

[223reload]

Not meaning to put anyone down by my thoughts, BUT I dont care how big of a blue ever gets, as long as there are some to be caught and eaten. I aint a trophy hunter or fisherman, If its there , I catch it , or shoot it (providing its legal). Too many peeps today with the big buckle syndrome in my personal opinion. just go fish for christs sake and have fun.

[Jeremy Sheffey]

Mississippi Sportsman - Big River, Big Cats

above is just one of many articles out there which speak about 200+ pound catfish caught by commercial fishermen in the 1800's. i think that if it wasnt for over fishing back then and even some now, we would see 300+ pound fish caught every once in a while. I believe we hook into them every once in a while even now. The gear we use is not equipped to catch a 200+ fish in the best of conditions. To land a 75-100 lb fish has a lot of luck involved. if you hooked a 200-400lb fish on the gear most people use, you would think you were snagged and would pull your line until you broke it. just getting a fish that size off of the bottom would be a feat to itself. JMO.

[Gary S.]

I can't make this credible because I'm not sure where I read it, but it's been stated that there is no genetic mechanism found in catfish that is responsible for a size limit. At least science thus far hasn't identified one.

REMOVE THESE ADS
BECOME A LEVEL 2

We all know that channels over 20 lbs are rarely caught and that flats and blues seem to never stop growing as long as there's a significant food source and room to migrate. So with all that said.....my opinion is that there's no reliable way to know what the upper limit is.

I can tell you this though.....my PB on rod and reel is a 43lb blue. The fight that he gave me was not spectacular. Fun? Oh H#LL YEAH! But not the "fought him for 15 minutes" type of deal. BUT! I have had hookups with fish that I never even turned around--they just kept right on truckin. And these that I never got turned around were on MUCH heavier tackle than that 43 was. As they were swimming off, you could feel their heads swaying back and forth as they swam and the wild thing about that was, that I could almost count seconds going by as their heads went from side to side. I probably would have filled my shorts at the mere sight of one of em.

One of these days.........lol.

[Frydaddy5505]

Makes you think dosen't it. I did use alot of gear that could do it I bought it off a guy who had one fishing trip to the gulf and sold me three penn's with 150# power pro wish I could have hooked into one then.

[Gary S.]

It sure does, frydaddy!

I think as more and more people get into chasing these catfish that are truly mammoths for their species, we'll continue to see records broken for quite sometime.

[puppypal]

I really believe that there are 200 plus pound blues in the rivers....
Yes they keep growing and and growing and growing....
Also it stands to reason, if they have managed to stay off our a humans hook long enough to get over 100 pounds then it also stays to reason there are smart catfish that have made it longer..........
We have been truly blessed to see the 100 pounders 130 pounds...Reckon those were just having a bad day....LOl But I figure those few blues that get bigger know the human laws and they stay away from hooks!