My biggest cat...77 lbs Flathead from the marina dock on a spinning out fit rigged with 40lbs test line.
I was working security at a local Marina. I normall showed up about 30 minutes before my shift started and went down to a slip I rented on the end of a dock. I typically would bait up three heaving spinning out fits and place them in rod holders bolted to the dock edge. All three are rigged the same way. I use a 6/0 circle hook on 24 inches of 80 lbs test leader connected to the main line with a large barrel swivel. Above the swivel is a 8 ounce egg sinker to keep the bait in place. Two were rigged with 8-10 inch live shad caught with a cast of a cast net. This night I also got lucky and caught a 12 inch carp and decided what the heck I will throw it on one of the lines. I had been managing 2-5 Blues in the 20-40 pound range using this technique a night.
Clocked in at the top of the hour and began making my rounds. A couple of hours I made it back around to the dock where my slip is and found one of the rods with a pretty hefty bend in it. Figured I hooked a 20 pound plus Blue that had tangled me up on the bottom but when I picked it up it started moving like it was hooked to a bull dozer. 45 minutes later I finally brought her to the surface to find I hooked the fish of a life time! Lifted her up on the dock unhooked her and loaded her in the pick up and went to Wally World and weighted her to 77 lbs. Hustled back to the Marina, took a couple of pics and eased her back in the water and moved some water through her mouth/gills and watched her swim away. That was in August 2007. Hopefully she has passed her genes on to a new brood every year since, at least I hope.
With the new slot limit (in its 4th year) protecting brood stock in the 15-50 pound range and that limits you to just one over 50 lbs here at this lake on Blues it shouldnt take too many years before I can top this one with a "Big Bull" Blue Catfish.
