Missouri largest catfish caught

In deeper water, cut baitfish along the bottom seems to be the most popular choice for anglers using natural bait. However, a well-presented fly or bucktail jig will certainly entice a bite from these voracious feeders when targeted in shallow or clear water — making it very appealing to a wide range of anglers.

The sharptooth's ability to tolerate extreme environmental conditions has allowed the species to thrive in areas where it has been introduced, such as Europe, Asia and the Middle East. While it prefers large, slow-moving rivers and flood plains, the sharptooth catfish is built to survive in almost any aquatic habitat.

Equipped with an accessory breathing organ, the sharptooth can actually breathe air — allowing it to burrow in the mud during low water levels, and even 'crawl ' overland during damp conditions. Given the extreme nature of this species, it's no surprise that the sharptooth is a voracious predator that will often hunt in packs — herding and trapping smaller fish.

While usually a bottom feeder, the aggressive sharptooth will occasionally feed on the surface. As an omnivorous species, the sharptooth's diet includes just about anything it can catch or find, including: fish, birds, frogs, small mammals, reptiles, snails, crabs, shrimps, and insects.

It is known to also eat plant matter such as seeds and fruit, and is even capable of straining fine plankton if necessary. Live or dead bait, fished along the bottom, is the preferred method of angling for this rugged species; however it has been known to take artificial lures and even flies. Its strongly compressed body and long dorsal fin make the sharptooth a formidable adversary when hooked on rod and reel.

Sharptooth Catfish World Record All-Tackle Record: 36 kilograms 79 pounds, 5 ounces , Orange River, Upington, South Africa Spotted Sorubim The spotted sorubim is a beautifully colored game fish, patterned with eloquently random black splotches and spots.

Although oftentimes confused with the barred and tiger sorubim because of the variation in their spots, the large size of the spotted sorubium — which is reported to grow up to kilograms — separates it from its smaller sorubim relatives. They tend to prefer lily pads and floating 'islands ' of water plants around river deltas, and are notorious for retreating under these vegetated areas after ambushing their prey — making medium to heavy tackle almost a requirement when targeting sorubim.

Unlike other species of catfish that tend to prefer natural baits on the bottom, sorubim are known to aggressively strike a variety of trolled and cast artificial baits intended for peacock bass, although night fishing with live or dead fish can also be very productive.

Their reputation as being exceptional table fare completes the 'game fish resume ' of this beautifully colored and strong fighting catfish. Native to river systems draining into the North, Baltic, Black, Caspian, and Aral sea basins, the wels were originally distributed within the bordering countries of northern and eastern Europe, as far north as Finland and Sweden, and western, southern, and central Asia.

Typical of most catfish species, the wels can be found foraging along the bottom of large lowland lakes and rivers, and has even been reported in brackish waters. The elongated, scale-less wels has a thick upper body and a laterally flatted tail, making it extremely powerful. Its natural diet includes live and dead fish and aquatic vertebrates, but anglers have found that the wels is also quick to take artificial baits such as plugs, spinners, frog lures and even flies. Over the past decade, the wels has become extremely popular among native European anglers, as well as anglers traveling from around the world to target this prehistoric freshwater game fish.

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To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow. Get Digital Access. Subscribe To The Magazine. More Articles From Other Freshwater. March 27, By Andrew Vanlaningham. Blue Catfish World Record. All-Tackle Record: Blue Catfish. As the largest catfish species found in North America, the blue cat has long been a favorite target of freshwater anglers looking for a bullish fight to test their skill and tackle.

Channel Catfish. Highly valued for both its food and sporting value, the channel catfish is one of the most popular catfish species in North America.

Channel Catfish World Record. Flathead Catfish. As the second largest catfish species in North America, the flathead is an extremely popular freshwater game fish and is naturally distributed throughout the United States and northern Mexico, with introductions occurring throughout the world.

Flathead Catfish World Record. The goonch is a mysterious catfish species that inhabits the rocky, swift moving rivers of central Asia's Ganges, Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins — with some of the largest specimens taken in India, where they commonly exceed 45 kilograms pounds.

Goonch World Record. Lau-Lau Piraiba. Pole and line: Eel: American. Lake or Stream. Alternative Method: Bow: Carp: Bighead. Recognized before the requirement to meet or exceed the Master Angler minimum was instituted. Pole and line: Carpsucker: River. Alternative Method: Bow: Sunfish: Redear. Pole and line: Gar: Longnose. Alternative Method: Snagging: Sucker: White. Charles, Missouri, told a fellow fishing enthusiast that he was getting bites, but catches were far and few between recently.

Then over the July 4 weekend, Kaminski went out again and reeled in the biggest catfish of his life in the Mississippi River.

It turned out to be an enormous fish so heavy that it maxed out his scale. A photo tells the tale afterward with the proud fisherman hefting his trophy aboard his boat, the iconic St.

Louis Arch in the background. The massive fish dwell where the massive Mississippi and Missouri rivers converge near St. Louis, though the exact spot where Kaminski caught his personal best he is keeping a secret.