Hey Guys,

just wanted to let everyone know about our(dragonvu) first fishing trips as members together here in the forums. We were bass fishing the whole evening yesterday(08/13/09) at a little lake called Lake Coleman in Coleman County near Abilene, Tx.

We weren't catching even a nibble and then about 8:45pm on a GrandeBass 8" Megatail Rattlesnake(watermelon red) plastic worm i was bouncing off the bottom--it struck.

I swear on my mothers grave--I landed a 17lb 9oz(by my digital scales) Flathead catfish. Dragonvu was witness to the event and I was going to submit it as a lake record but didn't know where to get the dang thing officially weighed in at.

For further official records which i know will probably never happen again where do you take a fish in the middle of nowhere(at night) to get a lake record recorded?

If it wasn't for that monster of a fish we were going to be skunked for the night. He wouldn't even fit in my live well is how big he was--so we had to put him over the side of the boat with a stringer through his bottom lip. He stayed on that for about an hour and with one big huge burst of trying to get away he managed to bend my swivel type stringer open and he got away before official photos could be taken---dang it

Anyways --just didnt know if any of you have had records recorded and if so where do you get a fish weighed in the middle of the night a little lake in the middle of nowhere?

i think there is a number you call in i heard about it on WFN, i dont remember it but my buddie put it into his phone. i been there bud, but it was crappie and didnt have a scale but knew it was huge for a crappie... =/

I caught a 20" yellow cat there on a brush hog once. As far as weighing goes, you'd need to find a certified scale. I'd call my buddies at TP&W inland fisheries. Game warden might could help you out as well, although I generally am wary of them as a species.

Just checked the TPWD website, there is no record certified for yellow cats on Coleman.

I know thats why i wanted to be the first.

Feed stores usally have certfied scales u can use and all they have to do is sighn the paper u print off the Tp&w website. Night is hard to find anywhere usally have to wait till morning.

Hey,

I will know next time--I just called the fisheries dept. and they said if it was to happen again( at night) you can actually have the fish die and put it in the freezer till morning. Then you can take it to a bait store or the fisheries dept the next day for official weighing--and yes the guy at the fisheries dept said it would have been a Lake RECORD !!!! UGGGHHH!!!!

Oh well i will know next time--prooly never happen again but oh well

I talked to a freind (customer) of mine that lives on Lake Coleman and fishes it 4-5 times a week and he said he has never in the 30 yrs he has lived there seen anyone catch a catfish that big. He said they catch 5-10 lb'er's all the time and a few times a year someone will bring one in that is about 12-15 pounds...but never as big as the one you caught. Outstanding job bro...I am still pumped from watching you bring it in.

TP&W # this is Abilenes number 325-673-3333 call them