Your right, thats where we disagree.

I know you said texas,,, I have seen some big channel cat come from the Achaphalia basin in southern louisiana by the fishermans docks. they are stacked up like firewood as 2fish4whatever would say. There is some places where you clean your fish down south and the big channel catfish will be right there catching the guts when you throwem in. I imagine there is places like that all along the coast where the catfish will be pertty stout.

My grandpa catches a bunch of big ones over 20lbs at falcon

I caught this one in January on lake Dunlap. It was just over 30" and weighed 11.23 lbs and is the largest channel i have caught. I released it so got the weight record and the catch and release record. It was caught on a little piece of worm and ultralight equipment.

Nice Mike! BTW, email or call me please buddy.

Caught one that went 12lbs and 32 in on a little turd lake in west Tx that if I posted the name few would recognize. Cool thing was the warden and I were standing there BS went the rod went down, he actually netted the fish for me. If he wasn't there it wouldn't have been measured, I didn't have a tape. He wanted me to take it a certified scale, for the lakes new record, but that scale was miles away so I just let er go.

Didn't measure it, but its gotta be close to 30" if not a little more.

I think the world record channel catfish will stand a hell of alot longer than the record for a blue or flatty. 58 lbs is a hell of a fish. I would love to see a pic of one going over 20 lbs.


Reggie

I don't remember what the lengths were but February 11, 2012 Lake Bastrop produced 3 channels over 11 pounds and one over 9 during the tournament down there. This was during miserable conditions, hopefully when things slow down a little I'll be able to get back out there and chase some more.

Fork for me produces all the channels I want to catch. The biggest I caught was 4.4 lb and did not measure it but sure ate it. Catch them all day with a baited hole. We move to another tree when the small ones come in.

Buck

Those sre sime nice channels. It seems like that 30" might be a little long to set as a benchmark for a trophy channel. Maybe 25" would be a better benchmark.

I might write a letter to TPWD abiut this subject. The bug fish award might not be a very big deal, but it sets the benchmark for the catch and release record. So lower this requirement could encourage the release of some very large channels. I have never caught a 10# channel, but I bet it pulls pretty darn well. Channel cats seem to pull harder pound to pound than a similiar size blue. Also, a 5# channel cat makes a great dinner. So if anything can be done to improve the genetics of the channel cat population that would be a great thing.

30 may be long, but I think 25 is short. If everyone does it then there is nothing special about it. A 25 inch channel cat isnt that uncomon.

I think so too, the 12 I caught hit and stripped drag like a 20+ blue. When that rod went down it stayed down and the reel was screaming.

I find blues tend to roll more, it is their atempt to get away, never had channels do much rolling.

Big blues I have caught always seem to stay on or near the top and fight side to side in big archs. yellas swim right into the boat but once they see you shoot straight down to the bottom and try to swim to china.

channel cat roll more than the other 2 strains! never caught one that did not roll, and always to my right oddly enough!