With a lot of different fish most people prefer to eat the smaller fish as opposed to the larger ones. Does this hold true with catfish? If I catch a big one should I take a pic and throw it back or do the big ones taste as good as the small ones?

i like the small channelcat, anything in my boat over 10# gets to grow a little more so i can catch it another day

I think the bigger ones taste like cheet! I like em up to 15 lbs

Any Cat over 13.5 lb's. CPR'ed.
I beleve it is personal preference.
Tight Lines!!!

Personally I think a 2-8 pound catfish is delicious deep fried with peanut oil and Louisiana Fish Fry in steaks or fillet chunks.

my experience is that the large flatties taste ok. Larger channels and blues can be a little dirty tasting. The scientist also say that older catfish contain higher levels of toxins. I usually eat the 5# and unders and throw the rest back!

I eat them all. From my experience if you clean them good and take good care to keep them cold you cant tell the differenc. I have eaten them from minimum legal to 82lbs and havent found one I didnt like yet.

matt

I agree with redchevy, if you bleed them out, cut out any red meat, and all the fat,[the yellow meat]where all you have left is pure white meat, then you can't tell what size it was!

Ya can tell what size is missing from the water..Just give it time..The 100lbers are almost gone due to everyone keeping them ....same will apply to the 30,40,50 & 60lbers yes EAT the trophy cats....all i can say is dont ask me to take ya out cause it aint happening...Anything over over 10 lbs will collect massive toxins including lead & mercury...

this texas big sam ... i would not start to tell you about the catfish in arkansas cuz i don't have a clue about it

in the majority of texas waters there were not any blues until the early to mid 1970's ... so to say we have less big fish now is a bald face lie ... i started fishing in the early to mid 1960's ... in the waters that i fish, there are FAR more & bigger fish than there ever have been

BTW big sam, how could anybody survive in yer boat for all the BS?

Thanks for all the replies. It is as I thought, just like the other fish I will keep the smaller ones and CPR the bigger ones. I get lots of fish to eat so that aint a problem.

in the majority of texas waters there were not any blues until the early to mid 1970's ... so to say we have less big fish now is a bald face lie ... i started fishing in the early to mid 1960's ... in the waters that i fish, there are FAR more & bigger fish than there ever have been

BTW big sam, how could anybody survive in yer boat for all the BS?

I am talking about catfish in any state / I fish Texas every year & have for many & have many friends that live there. I purchase a Texas license every year. I bet you wouldnt like it if I came & caught 50 lb-60 & 70lb fish hacked them up and headed home?? I have more respect than that sir....1 st you have to be WELCOME in my boat to survive the BS....Very rude indeed sir!