About 30lb cat with tiny bobber attached

If anyone finds a bluish gray catfish approx 2-2 1/2 ft long and possibly 30lbs with a tiny bobber above the hook and a 3/4 ounce teardrop weight below the hook, near the Miller Bridge/Lake Ray Hubbard overpass, could you please pm me and I'll tell you what address to mail him to - postage paid by me of course.

Seriously though, I fought with this sucker for about 15 minutes on 12lb line and finally got him to the edge of the pier I was fishing from, but of course the pier was about 10ft above the water over the handrails and 12lb line just will not hold a 30lb fish when trying to lift it out of the water. I should have known better, but I bet he still would have broke off trying to dry dock him from the bank. But he sure was pretty!

You need to beef up your line.. 25# mainline at least.

I know, but I catch everything out there. Mainly fish for crappie and bass/sandbass but the cat took the small minnow and started running. I wore him out, just too heavy to lift for that line.

Google pier net I have one of these for when I am at Port Aransas fishing from the pier.

Yeah you did wear him out me and my cousin seen him at 2:45 this morning

I don't doubt it, he busted off about 1am last night. Pretty much the only thing I caught last night except a couple small sandbass and some other dinks.

Ahh, like a basket! Never thought of that before. Thanks!

You do know that a two and a half ft long catfish is only about ten lbs.

Good catch Tom. I didn't even notice that.

I have the pictures of the fish .. and yes no doubt 30 lbs or more

Then explain to me how a 10 poind cat broke 12lb line on a straight lift with no struggle? Glad you know you exact quotient for length/weight ratio there.

Well, for one thing since I fish a slot lake in which I have to release all fish between 30 inches,which happens to be 2 1/2 ft and 45 inches I have only weighed A few hundred thirty inch fish!!!
As far as it breaking your line, it could be any number of reasons.

So no 30lb catfish that are 30 inches long...got it!

Hey look, there actually is a chart.

http://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing/species/catfish/catfish-tips-fishing/catfish-weight-chart

and the chart says a 2 1/2 foot (30 inch) fish weighs 10.9 lbs....

Thanks, wasn't sure I could figure that one there out myself...

For reference, here is a 33.2 lb blue that measured 41" that I CPR'd at Twok. I'm no expert, but the bigger Blues I have caught at Twok seem to be shorter than the ones I catch in my local lakes when they are of the same weight.

That looks like the one I was pulling. He had a really fat head. Nice fish!

In my experience, most of the time you encounter boat shrinkage with fish just as you do ground shrinkage with deer. In the heat of the battle, they look seem, and feel bigger than they are, and when you measure them and put them on a scale, you find out real quick that your trophy is not what you thought it was.

Dude, if Tom Gravely tells you something it is a good idea to listen. Tom is probably one of the best catfish guides to ever go fishing. I'll tell you a secret,read all his posts and you will learn some things about fishing. Better yet hire him and get it straight.

Appreciate it! I'm not really into cats too much though. Just happens where I fish for crappie, the cats like to nibble on my minnows as well.

Nice fish!