Dave just wanted to say although it wasn’t like your usual action packed catfish videos. In my opinion its one of your best. It’s a true legend Catfish Dave telling the world putting us all on notice to take better care to protect the sport we love to preserve it. Thanks Dave!!!🎣🎣🎣
I was watching one of your videos the other night when my neighbor was here. He asked me if CatFish Dave keeps the fish he catches? I said "not normally, if he did there wouldn't be any left, they'd be extinct . "
So between the pressure plus most of the people had never caught fish over ten lbs removed thousands of fifteen to thirty pound stripers from a lake that was put and take didn't care that the fingerlings would take fifteen to eighteen years to become 20 to 25 lbs when then herring spawn you can catch boatloads of 7 to 10 fish hasn't been a thirty caught in fifteen years...please don't kill out your trophy fisheries because you can't pass on what's gone to the children after they are gone
I agree with with Dave on all the the catfish tournaments Wiping out all of the big cats. I fish the Missouri River in northwest Missouri. This year alone there has been at least three pro cat tournaments. Throw lines are more popular than ever. There’s still good fish out there but if these tournaments continue it won’t take long before it’s ruined for everyone
Dave thanks for making this video. It is a real thrill landing a big catfish. I love it that you always do catch and release. When I was young in Kansas we used to catch large catfish on trout lines lines and we didn't think about throwing them back. I would like to see State's Fish and Game Departments get together or individually set catch and release standards for each species of catfish. I think you would be a great spokesman to get this started if you haven't already tried. Dave It is the only way our kids and grandkids will see these large catfish in the years to come. Keep it up Dave you are making a difference.
Absolutely…the fish and game dept. of each state need to reconsider catfish limits. Look what happening in California th-cam.com/video/wEXWkSxG0po/w-d-xo.html
I never.... I repeat, NEVER keep a catfish over 10 pounds. Been fishing for over 60 years. My grandfather taught me about keeping what you need to survive and leaving game for others.
Dave is right about catch and release. I only have been catfishing about two years now, coming from a 50 year bass fishing background. I haven't killed a fish in probably 40 years now, and it bothers me when I see catfisherman killing the larger ones, especially blue cats which are rare in my area. Keep a few small channel cats if you want a meal, but release the bigger ones. Thank's for the video Dave. It is helping me become a better catfisherman.
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Thank You Catfish Dave for all your video's and sharing your wisdom. I respect you for bringing these issues of over fishing to attention. We as anglers need to take your example of a true sportsman and conservationist of our God givin fishing resources.
This is a really cool video man... I've seen the same progression in bass fishing on a couple lakes down here in Louisiana and Texas... Use to you'd see a few absolute monsters getting weighed in now its getting more and more rare to see anything in the teens... They've taken steps to bring back big fish with slot limits and if you send in the measurements and weight of a fish over 10lbs they'll send you a replica mount for free hoping to get more big fish turned loose. If I keep fish to eat when it comes to large mouth Bass if the fish is over 3lbs it goes back and unless I'm catching fish to eat they all go back. It's still going to take years to get the big fish back but with more people becoming aware of this the faster it'll bounce back. Great video brother keepem coming!!!
I agree totally! We fished perch on the bay of Green Bay in the early 90's with a 50 fish limit per day and everyone was getting a limit every time out. They counted vehicles on one landing driving out on the ice on a weekend and it was over 5000. At 100 fish per vehicle taken out per weekend at one of over 20 landings came to millions of perch being kept. Well 2 years of that and they had to put the limit to 5 a day, there were no fish. 30 years later its at 15 a day and still struggling to recover. Fisherman blamed it on commercial fishing, but we were the problem, no doubt! Strong believer in catch and release. Keep something to eat here and there but just be smart about it. Good video!
90s early internet time was the killer of a lot of I’ve fishing where people started to commute to different states and talk widely. In our area it happened too. Central New York
My grandparents told me the same stories about the smelt back in the 30s and 40s up north. People would swarm the area when the spawn happened and using garbage cans and massive nets to scoop them out of the river, familieswould end up with 10s of thousandsof those little sardine like fish. Well long story short they're all gone, nothing like the population that once was. Us humans cause all the problems we're a cancer on this planet.
I'm in western pa and pymatuning use to be 50 crappie no size ppl went during spawn and destroyed the population. It's a 9" 25 fish limit now and people are still keeping every crappie they catch there of lil 9" crappie 🤦🏼
Perch populations boomed in the 80s into the early 90s like you said. During this time it’s also important to note that the alewife population was under threat of crashing completely. Alewives simply out compete all native species fry. There was also the expanding invasive mussels that played on the detriment in the later 80s. So while it could be blamed on fisherman, I would tend to lead towards the recreational salmon fisherman who wanted the alewives to stay stable in the new fishery. When they banned trawling for alewives in the 90s, we saw the perch start to get outcompeted again by alewives.
Thank you Dave for speaking out on this , motto has always been mums the word , those quality fish are a gift from the creator above and sharing the experience with him is enough.
Hey Dave. Dave what a great video and information. I'm an old guy so love knowing how things have developed and changed. Back in the 60's I fished Dale Hollow on the Ky. side. I hear it's no where near what it used to be. I'm at the point that I just don't keep fish unless I gut hook em or ruin their gills. I got store bought fish in the frig, No use killing our locals. I see what you're doing. Your taking it slow and enjoying that fish aren't ya? Thanks Dave, this was a great video.
Excellent video, sir ..thank you for speaking out - hope this message gets heard...My grandfather grew up in Cincinnati..he said he remembered many times seeing men carrying catfish from the Ohio River so large that the head was over their shoulder and the tail was dragging the ground...according to history I've read there used to be muskies (and who knows what else)in the Ohio, too..
awesome video that needed to be made, I have a cabin at bumpus mills marina around clarksville and the mid 90s had the best fishing ever, even in the 2000s and Dave moyer was 1 of the guides around, the word got out and everybody came from all over, and now you are lucky to catch a fish over 15 lbs. we always released anything over 12-14 lbs because you could catch all you wanted under 5 lbs to eat. we rarely fish up there anymore it is so bad
Thanks for bringing awareness to the issue at hand. It really hit home. I have had a guilt for a few years now, because I am guilty of ego issues, causing me to unintentionally killing a trophy flathead out of my local river. Long story short. I am blessed to live close to one of the deeper, and least pressured stretches of the Arkansas River. I was on a mission to catch a giant. My previous record was 34 lbs. (Landed)...had missed a 60 plus blue. 1 pound redear, was the live bait of choice that particular evening in mid July 2015. After a few hours into the night, it finally happened. Took me about 10 minutes,...really hard fight, from the bank. I landed him, (huge flathead right off of the nest) he hung from mid chest to the ground (I am 6'3")..I was so excited. I put him on my Berkeley digital scale, he maxed it out (50 lb. Limit on the scale). I had to know what he weighed (my ego thought any how). Took over an hour to get a proper scale to weigh him. He took his last breath in the process. It ended up going 51 and some change...what a shame. Nice fish, but i never intended to keep him. Ended up cleaning it, and had a fish fry for about a dozen people. He didn't taste as well as the smaller ones do, and i felt so guilty. Hindsight, i think that the picture was enough to tell my story (the exact weight was unnecessary). The fish was likely 20 years old, and not replaceable in a few years. Multiply my greed, by a few hundred.....nothing left for future generations. I wish I could do it over.
I read a article way back in the mid 90s in north American fishermen mag a man caught like a 134 pound flat head out of the Arkansas River i can't rember why it was not the record
Thanks for this video Dave! I wish they would put a slot limit on Blues and Flatheads. I never minded people keeping some 2 to 5 pounders once in awhile but it’s insane these days!!! Thanks for sharing!
People don't get it. I preach catch and release to all who will listen. So glad you see you use your platform to do the same. Been a fan for years, this only grows my respect for ya. Thanks Dave.
So glad the bigger channels are pushing for catfish conservation. I've been wanting to do a video but no one will listen to a small fry like me. Thanks Dave💯👍
I think this is the best video you have put out. So much information that I hope others will absorb. I sure enjoy watching you catch fish. This video showcase the fact that pressure takes a toll on the catfish population. I live in Alabama, I fish the black warrior mainly. I have fished the Tombigbee some also. I hope you visit Alabama again soon. I saw videos of you doing very well in our state. I follow your videos very close. I am always checking for your newest video. Please keep sharing your videos for folks like me can learn to be a better fisherman.
I enjoy watching your fishing videos. Thank you for the content you put out. This video in particular brings to light the reality of the decimation of catfish due to ignorance and lack of respect for wildlife. You personally see this happening and I’m glad you’re exposing the over harvesting of fish for selfish reasons. I’m learning to fish thru yours and other youtuber videos. I do hope to catch a good size catfish someday. 5# is enough for me and release. Hope your video gets millions of views and the attention of the organization that sponsors catfish conference. Organizations like that can spread the word. You’ve done your part with this video. Thank You.
Glad to see someone with great influence talk about the problem of not abiding by catch and release. Even with strict laws and education, people tend to be selfish and keep every fish. I hope your expertise and influence helps. Thanks Dave
That right there is your best video ever IMO. I still read In-Fisherman, always trying to learn or pickup anything I can, on any species. I like to eat fish! But the big ones get released to propagate and the pan sized ones get released in hot peanut oil.
Great video, been watching ya for years now . I feel ya on the waters getting pressured, I been worried about that since early 2000s when the school were talk about river and lakes being over fished
Kudos to you, Dave, for speaking the truth about our fish. I live in NC where we have been getting some 100+# fish lately. We all love to see these monsters and good on the guys that land them. You are right to caution the fishermen. The time necessary to get a fish that size, the quality of water needed, the food needed, it staggers the mind when you think about it. We don't have to eat those fish or mount them. We can take pictures or videos. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your warning. We ALL have to be responsible and respectful of the resources that we have. I appreciate all the knowledge you have given me about how to catch cats and thank you sincerely for this video sharing how to leave big fish for our children. Thank you, sir!
Hey brother I had back surgery couple weeks ago been watching a hot more of ur videos this one I did I enjoy I’ve been blessed with a fire over 60 lbs. Got then at Santee cooper really in joy watching I try to leave the bid ones to for my grand kids someday. Keep fishing Brother. 🎣
Thanks Dave for being some one who cares! Takes a lot of courage to post videos like this but it’s the truth! Every one needs to know how important it is to release these fish. Don’t like hearing about people killing deer just for big racks. Only take what you intend on using. Leave everything else alone. Keep it up Dave!
Good morning Dave, Been following you for years you have put me on some nice fish from the little techniques and tricks I've learned from you I'm a bank fisherman. Thanks for the Frank assessment of your Tennessee Waters and what's going on I guess I'm just going to stay right here in northeast Texas. Unfortunately people removing large fish in the water is not just happing in Tennessee it's happening here in Texas too. I love catching flatheads but most the Big flatheads nowadays are noodled and are taken home and put in lake Crisco. I don't eat a lot of catfish but when I do they're small I always tell folks eat the grandkids and like grandpa and grandma go they're the ones making all the babies for us all.But it's a hard thing to sell every were. Growing up in the south I too fish for food for my family for substance in Florida and Georgia when I was a boy so I don't mind folks catching fish I just wish they'd let the big ones go. Anyhow I'm writing the book God bless you tight lines and big cats and has always brother much peace and love from northeast Texas 🤠✌️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸✨🧸✨
Great but sad video Dave. The whole planets under pressure. Here in Alaska our salmon are disappearing on the Yukon river. I mean gone. This river is the size of your Mississippi. Greed is what wiped it out pure and simple. Our days ahead look grim unless we become more conscious of our action to our world. Thanks for your thoughts.
Another great video, it’s not just catching the fish it’s what you people do after you catch the fish I think one thing is to get your pictures and then release them so everyone can enjoy catching them ones there gone there gone for a long long time if not for ever. Thank you Master Catfish Dave
Well I never really comment on anything that I see on videos but Dave this was a well put together conversation about fish pressure on lakes nice giving me a different perspective on catch and release thanks Dave for the information and thanksDave for teaching me how to Catch bigCatfish and now how to release them
Well said here in Idaho in my lifetime our mismanaged wildlife and fisheries have been permanently degraded by overharvest and poor management everyone wants to pass the buck on why yet the cause is plane as day why.! it's a very sad commentary yet true! Thanks Mr, Dave
Dave, really enjoyed this type of video & I hope you make more like it. In my area of Oklahoma it's pretty poor and just like deer hunting where guys don't let young bucks pass by here they don't throw back big catfish very often but instead keep & eat them I guess because they need food on the table. The number of trotlines here would surprise you I think & people always put the heads on fence post to show how many big fish they've kept.
Great video. Hopefully something happens to protect the catfish. The commercial fishing in my home water the ohio river has been destroyed to the paylake industry. It will just be a matter of time before many other rivers are depleted of the big fish. The James river is the new commercial fishing ground to stock the Tri sates of ohio,Kentucky, Indiana paylakes. Sadly the big fish will be far and few. One of the best videos you have produced. It took me years to wake up and truly understand what I had supported for a couple years. Sometimes you have to make mistakes to learn in life. I did meet my best friend at a paylake so i can't beat myself up to bad.. Now we fish lakes and rivers.. thanks for a great video
Best catfish Dave video ever 👏👏👏 i knew Jim Moyer, Doug Stange etc back in the day-- not well but i know exactly what you are saying. Thanks for letting everyone know the real truth about huge catfish ... how long it takes to get them and how easily they will dissapear if people dont realize the rarity of these giants and handle them well when they do catch them and release them to do what they do-- enjoy them for a few moments. We should talk someday. Thanks again,
Thanks Dave for a great video and information. I’m in central Alabama and 30 minutes to 1-1/2 hours away from several great river systems, the Alabama river, Tombigbee river, Warrior river, Coosa and Tallapoosa river. If you ever have a few days to fish Alabama we’d be honored to have you down. I’m not a cat fisherman but would love to go after some big ones one day. We use to fish trot lines and the biggest was a 59# flathead, but I know there are some giants here. Thanks again, Adrian
Thank you Dave! I really enjoyed this video. Once again Dave the tell it like it is. Watts bar just In the four years I have been fishing it. The numbers of people catfishing has gone from a few to what it seams like now is millions. I can never go to any of the dams here and not have 20 or more people fishing for skip jack. Their numbers have gone from tons down to sometimes nilly. As for big cats now anything over 30 your doing good. Big fish numbers are way down mostly due to commercial fishing. I have scene them come in with mny fish over 30 pounds they don't have to worry about the rules because fish and game you never see. Except for the 1st week of March sp they can write a million tickets for people who have forgotten to renew thier license. Sad just sad
Sad for sure. And fishing beds. I’ve never understood why people keep fish caught on bed. You’re just killing your future populations. I love to fish for bluegill. I’ll see videos of bluegill fishermen keeping everything they catch while the fish are guarding the bed. I just don’t understand it.
I often think the same of skipjack. Everyone is after them. I let all of my catfish go and it seems things are going that way for the most part. Just got back from Watts Bar this week from NC. Caught a few upper 20s and one 30lb blue. Absolutely Beautiful lake
I used to do the same thing Dave! Couldn't wait to get that magazine back in the day. I still have many of those magazines believe it or not. I saved them!
Same thing happened with the Okie Noodling documentary. Was a time when I was young that only a very small number of people did it in the waters that I grew up on. One year after that documentary came out I noticed quite a few more people doing it. The next year there was boats lined up for about 300 yards on one stretch of under water highway, Same on the opposite shore. All noodling. Everywhere on the bank with big slab rock, there was people noodling. This went on every weekend during the spawn.
Great vid! I got into catfishing because it wasn't bass fishing, and it wasn't as popular as cat fishing. I've noticed it gain popularity, with that, fishing pressure. I'm not for additional rules, but I really feel like there should be rules about not keeping either fish that are too small or too large. I see many of these posts on social media where people are pulling out 70lb + fish and have them in the back of their pick up trucks, wonder how many nuggets they got out of them? Those fish should have been released, IMHO. Keep up the good work on your vids
KY/Barkley lake had the slab crappie, Reelfoot had the bluegills and the magazines and tourism bureaus hyped them up. KY put a size limit on and they've rebounded some, but nowhere like the cooler filling heydays, and I've heard Reelfoot isn't the same as it used to be either. Good luck and God bless.
When I was a kid me and my dad could go out on a Saturday and Catch loads of fish on a zebco 33 and a little cheep fiberglass rod.Now there are probably 5 Tournaments a week after each tournament you can stay around and pick up the dead fish floating.These people have killed our lake.RIP Norris.
Dave everything you shared is spot on. But here is the deal....I have met many older fisherman over the years who are very tight lipped. There is a reason for that. The fishing industry whether it is bass, crappie or in your case catfish has become a multi billion dollar business. BILLION....that is not a exaggeration but fact. I have seen this same problem with the overall bass population in one of my home lakes which is Guntersville. Not to long ago Guntersville was in the top ten lakes in the country for big bass. The word got out and before you know it major bass events started holding major tournaments on Lake Guntereville. The weights use to be massive. It was very common out of a 5 fish limit to have 28-30 pounds. Guntersville still has quality fish but you have to know how to target them and know how to follow them each day. Factor in all the out of state people and you have problems. I have been fishing for over 40 years now and back in the 70's if you had a 14 foot flat bottom with a 20 horse mercury on it you were considered and wealthy and pro fisherman. Even back in the eighties I could take off work during the week and places like goosepond and waterfront you might see three trailers in the parking lot. Now.....it seems like nobody works because every day of the week every ramp is packed. I think technology has got the best of us as well. The electronics that are on the market now removes a lot of skill. The mapping and live target can make the average fisherman look like a pro. Back in the old days you had to line up land marks to mark your spots and hope you knew how to read a hummingbird super 60 flasher if you had the pleasure of owning one. Everyone is responsible for killing lakes and in fisherman is not the only one and neither were you. But as we all enjoy your videos and appreciate what you do, pros like you are also creating the problems of a lakes decline. I am not bashing you by no means but when you become an expert like you have over the years you end up painting a bullseye on your back and the lakes you fish. There will be a time when all of us must make a decision and that decision is do we try and continue making videos, fishing tournaments, advertising our products, continue guiding and putting our clients on fish or will we step back and realize that our passion and love for the sport is the main reason why our waters are being depleted. I am an avid crappie and smallmouth fisherman and I made my mind up years ago that I will no longer fish tournaments or share detailed information with others. I have seen the results of me being too open and sharing my knowledge and patterns. When you came to Guntersville and fished the main bridge going over Guntersville on hwy 431/231 your were set up on the Guntersville side of the bridge with buck island in the background and Alred Islands just down from the bridge over your right shoulder....or the time you were fishing right below BB Comer bridge or that creek up from bridge port?. I know all these areas like the back of my hand and now many other do to. It's action like this that get out of towners and even locals covering up a river system very similar to your fort louden. Me, you and many others are part of the problem. When will we draw the line?
100% !!! DO NOT TALK About SPOTS ..l unless it’s a very close member of your circle. The internet killed a lot of fishing in a lot of areas in the late 90s
Many more should have liked and replied and AGREED to this comment and it’s written really respectfully. Thank you. Landmarks and knowledge were the two main factors of fishing in the past, I could walk out a mile on a lake and know what depths I was at with drop offs and ledges with a couple of holes drilled , no finder or depth finder. Graph, sonar… just my knowledge and feel for the water I was fishing. It’s definitely not the same and it’s definitely taking a toll on bodies of water
You do a nice job of respectfully telling someone it's their fault. Make sure you unsubscribe and stop watching the content if you are gonna tell him he is the problem. Jackass.
Dave's absolutely right i have watched this happen from far east TN all the way down to Knoxville nobody does catch and release. And it has ruined our local fisheries.
My Son and I really enjoy your video's Dave, We bank fish the Green River near Calhoun KY, We put everything back over 10 pounds, And don't keep all those. Thanks for the good advice and tips my friend.
Hello Catfish Dave. You ever fish the lake at Dale Hollow Dam? I have a friend of mines family is in Celina Tenn. (Clarke Burford fisheries ) was there. I grew up on the Chattahoochee. In Smiths Station. GOAT ROCK Damn. Area. Columbus Georgia was on the other side. The water release area was deep but then there rocks that trapped fish between them and the dam... a guy sunk a brand new bass rig. So he hired a dive team to go get that boat.. lol. That main diver went down and when he came up he was as white as the bottom of well a Catfish 😂 he said a darn Catfish tried to swallow him😅 he said that man could keep his money, that boat and that bleep bleep bleeping catfish!!! I love it. When old Alan Jackson sings about that river I think of the diver. And yes I saw ... But 150' from the Chattahoochee, Alan JACKSON sing about that river haha Love your videos. That was a rock hard Cat you caught at the 30 min mark..... Keep catching them itty bitty kitty's 😂
Great video Dave and great message. Nothing wrong with keeping some fish to eat when you need them and releasing the rest. I read through a lot of the comments about the impact of paylakes, etc. i get it. I dont see much mention of all these catfish tournaments and their impact on the fishery. Im sure some are ran better than others, some people handle their fish better than others, etc. But ive often wondered what the mortality rate is on fish that are caughtt, hauled around in livewells, weighed, etc then released. A while back on facebook somebody posted some weigh in footage and a large fish was laying on the ground flopping around. Hope he survived.
Back in the 90's my first big cat rod was a Rhino rod a friend gave me because I went swimming for it. A catfish jerked it into the water so I swam for it and fought the catfish while swimming back to shore.
Dave thats a great message . I watch people here keep nice trophy fish . I wish they would put a limit on our blues and flat heads but they havnt . Sad to see really . Keep being a spokesman for the fish they need folks like you that can speak up for them .
Thank you Dave for telling it like it is. People just don’t care about the future of the the fish population. I only keep to eat fish below 8 pound fish. And I only keep enough for a meal at a time. I can always go get more for another meal if I’m lucky. People don’t realize that there are 20 eating size fish for every one of the 20 pound fish out there now days. And the monster catfish that number is about a thousand to one.
Don`t have to worry about that in Ohio only allowed to keep one a day over 26". If it was a monster I might try to keep it alive to weigh for a state record then release it but if there isn`t opportunity to save it a picture will do.
I love you're videos and the knowledge you share exp from years of being on a body of water is something i respect deeply. I myself have a completely different experience of middle Tennessee, granted much briefer and noway compares in any way to the kevel youbare at. But my 2020 let's say was my best catfish year of my life. Leading up to then I've always been a small creek and pond type of fisherman biggest cat was 8lb 60z my grandma weighed it on butcher scales I was hooked but didn't have any direction or mentoring yrs later I'm traveling the country working doing hvac work I'm in Nashville during the pandemic almost all of 2020 during this time I catch my p.b blue out of the Cumberland in downtown Nashville basically almost 55lbs then when the waters dropped in like may June I caught my p.b flathead on the stone river about a quarter mile up from were it spills Into the Cumberland on the edge of town out close to the Opryland mall I caught the mist white bass ever from the Cumberland and my biggest spotted gar I love the Cumberland and I released everything I caught except bait lol
Ya Dave your a 100 percent right..My favorite place growing up in the 80-90s Field and stream ran several hit peaces calling a it a blue ribbon fishing spot..so ever knot head that passed a sports store from states around was out there beating a froth on the water..know its just ruined..I've always practiced catch and release accept a few for the fryin pan..love the vids man!!!
Preach it brother 🙏 I love cat fishing and I love carp fishing. So I can tell ya I feel ya. I'm an Englishman that lives in NY and it breaks my heart to see bow fishing after the 40,50 and 60 lb carp just to put it on there garden so sad. A 60lb carp can take 40 yrs to grow. Please make more videos on this the word needs to get out there. 🙏🙏🙏
I knew a guy on the Muskingum river just above the dam at McConnellsville , he would catch carp about 2 pounds and throw them out on the bank early in the day. That night he would cut them in about 4 pieces and had a huge hook{i think it was a shark hook} and tie it to about 30 feet of rope and toss it off the bank. He caught 25 to 40 pound fish all the time in the 70s and he fed them to his cats.
The one and only catfish I have ever kept was a 60+ pounder I caught at South Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi. I foul hooked it and ended up dragging it backwards for about 45 minutes (was on 12lb line) to the point where it was pretty much done by the end. I believe that is actually the only fish I have kept in the previous 25 years.
I've been watching your videos for about 2 years now people just don't realize the pressure they put on certain fishing areas it's not just individuals it's everybody
Wow the experience and knowledge this guy has is very hard to find.. I’ve fished all my life mainly just for bass.. catfish fishing is so much harder because it can be such a waiting game.. this guys probably spent more hours on the water than I have been alive
In Michigan, our state record Flathead is 52 & my buddies PB from last year is over 45. He fishes at night w live Bluegills, in urban areas. He would love to show Catfish Dave his spots. Lots of guys release big fish here. Most guys fish for Walleye & perch & there are warnings not to eat Catfish. Freshwater Drum fishing here is world class. Most guys don't keep them either. The call them Sheepshead & Walleye fisherman call them farm animals.
I’m from MI originally and I never caught anything but a Chanel cat as far as a catfish, I knew they were there but we NEVER targeted them because there are so much better fish to catch up there lol, the hunting/fishing is the only thing I miss about Michigan lol, keep them fudgies at bay.
Same story all over. It was snapper, grouper, king mackerel, and redfish where I grew up. My dads era boated giants routinely. By the mid nineties, it was done. Regulations came in, so d fish bounced back. Redfish had a moratorium and they’ve bounced back the best. The red snapper edged through the last 20 years have been extremely tough for the charter guys, but something has to be done. You can’t just leave it open season.
I saw an article that said back in the day when MO. fisheries biologists were doing surveys of people fishing, they assumed every boat on the water was bass fisherman. They also didn't survey bank fisherman. Now they do both. They ask the boaters what they are fishing for and have started talking the people fishing on the bank. It is virtually a 3 way tie between people fishing for catfish, crappie and bass. Factual surveys are needed everywhere but getting all the states to comply is gonna take some doing. Have a good day and thanks for this video.
Dave it's just as bad in my area in alabama on the tennessee river. People are coming from all over as far as Missouri and Montana to get our skipjack from below the guntersville dam, they are taking 300 skipjack at a time and selling them for 5 dollars a piece to catfish tournaments, and the limit is 100 a day. I remember back in the 90s it was hard not to catch a skipjack, you could catch them from the bank easy, now you have to go way out in the middle of the river to locate a few and the game wardens aren't doing anything about it.
Sometime in the Late 90's the dredged the river too. I used to LOAD up on catfish near the Marine Arsenal. After they dredged it, the fishing fell WAY off.
Dave, I must have lived very close to where you are. My family moved to Knoxville in 83’ we only stayed there for 11 months. I fished Fort Louden lake. My family owned a marina on Jonathan Creek on Kentucky lake. I was 9 years old and started tossing a blakemore roadrunner jig. Everyone was using jiggs but they didn’t have the spinners. This was a game changer and the exact same situation happened. Kentucky Lake was featured in magazines. Tournaments moved in and the bio mass was destroyed. We caught crappies over 3# several times a week. We stopped going. It sounds narcissistic to say but introducing that roadrunner jig definitely had an impact. Look at florida- I run offshore charters and I could say the exact same thing about the fishing in saltwater. That’s enough fish being taken to hurt fish populations and that from the oceans
The state record flathead was caught on my home river in my town. I saw a boat from PA trying to put in last year on the way back north from santee cooper. They had a big V hull walleye boat. There was 4ft of water at that time you need a jet boat to run it. I tried telling them, they got stuck on a sandbar. Been all kinds of yuppies all over since that record flathead was caught.
30:15-30:16 what were you doing Dave? All I know is that I was in the middle of taking a drink, and all of a sudden my drink came roaring out of my nose lmao. I imagined/saw you in slow motion falling over the side lol
Honorable video. Too much pressure and poor release techniques all over youtube. How long does it take to gently release these amazing fish? I know catfish are tough but all species should be released with care. Everytime no matter the size. Thank you for all of your videos. Especially this one.
Same thing is happening now in Texas but to both our bass and catfish lakes. Lake Fork and OH Ivie have been ruined and Tawakoni and Texoma are being ruined.
I moved to kodak (right outside Knoxville) 4 years ago and was looking for to catching some monster cats. Haven't caught anything over 15 pounds the entire time. The pay lake in Georgia was called twin bridges and had a 104 pound blue cat as the headliner. And he was brought down from fort Loudon in the late 90s. Sad to see fishing going down hill.
This is so true. Here in Az you can not transfer fish to different bodies of water legally. Dave you have helped myself and many others to catch catfish with your videos. What I was always taught if you want fish to eat keep one under 10lbs they taste better.
Same in ID. We aren’t allowed any live bait either which is kind of a shame for those of us targeting flatheads. How are the live bait laws down there?
alot of good info Dave, I live close to Wilson Lake in AL. word has got out about how good it is and get is getting pounded. I've been fishing it close to 40 years, I use to fish it and not see another cat fisherman all day
Dave just wanted to say although it wasn’t like your usual action packed catfish videos. In my opinion its one of your best. It’s a true legend Catfish Dave telling the world putting us all on notice to take better care to protect the sport we love to preserve it. Thanks Dave!!!🎣🎣🎣
I knew Jim Moyer,,,, Berkly E Cat 2,3,4, still use the to this day
I was watching one of your videos the other night when my neighbor was here. He asked me if CatFish Dave keeps the fish he catches? I said "not normally, if he did there wouldn't be any left, they'd be extinct . "
Catfish Dave is catching and releasing . I think he knows, if he doesn't, then his video channel goes!
So between the pressure plus most of the people had never caught fish over ten lbs removed thousands of fifteen to thirty pound stripers from a lake that was put and take didn't care that the fingerlings would take fifteen to eighteen years to become 20 to 25 lbs when then herring spawn you can catch boatloads of 7 to 10 fish hasn't been a thirty caught in fifteen years...please don't kill out your trophy fisheries because you can't pass on what's gone to the children after they are gone
I agree with with Dave on all the the catfish tournaments Wiping out all of the big cats. I fish the Missouri River in northwest Missouri. This year alone there has been at least three pro cat tournaments. Throw lines are more popular than ever.
There’s still good fish out there but if these tournaments continue it won’t take long before it’s ruined for everyone
He is one hell of a good fisherman.
Of all the videos you have made Dave this is my favorite
Dave thanks for making this video. It is a real thrill landing a big catfish. I love it that you always do catch and release. When I was young in Kansas we used to catch large catfish on trout lines lines and we didn't think about throwing them back. I would like to see State's Fish and Game Departments get together or individually set catch and release standards for each species of catfish. I think you would be a great spokesman to get this started if you haven't already tried. Dave It is the only way our kids and grandkids will see these large catfish in the years to come. Keep it up Dave you are making a difference.
Absolutely…the fish and game dept. of each state need to reconsider catfish limits. Look what happening in California
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One of your best videos. Never miss a video of yours. your down to earth and honest. telling it like it is.
It's great to see catch & release increase over the years, its more fun for everyone. Great sermon Dave!
I never.... I repeat, NEVER keep a catfish over 10 pounds. Been fishing for over 60 years. My grandfather taught me about keeping what you need to survive and leaving game for others.
Same only keep 5 to 10 pounders and only rarely.
Noodle float fishing for 2-5 pound range fish about twice a year catches all we can use.
Me either
Exactly what my grandfather taught me. 10 pounds tastes better than a 40 pound cat!
Plus the Bigguns' never tastes as good.
This is one of your best videos,people really like to here your stories, atleast I do.thanks for your channel.much love and respect from NC
Dave is right about catch and release. I only have been catfishing about two years now, coming from a 50 year bass fishing background. I haven't killed a fish in probably 40 years now, and it bothers me when I see catfisherman killing the larger ones, especially blue cats which are rare in my area. Keep a few small channel cats if you want a meal, but release the bigger ones. Thank's for the video Dave. It is helping me become a better catfisherman.
3 pounds or less are the best to eat anyway. I'd never try to eat a double digit fish.
I eat green carp, and let the big flatties go. Just doing my part.
@@RustyShakleford01 I've had a cat over 20lbs that tasted pretty good. But I agree we need to let the big ones go.
No one knows the exact day hour /But we can see the signs events all around us. And by the timeline, Israel is 80 years and 1 generation span according to bible text will be around 2027 , which israel was declared first in 1947 + 80 years = 2027 . so we know we dont have 10 years left as this is 2022 so the rapture, then the tribulation will be before 2030 for sure.
The rapture will happen without a doubt and it will happen much sooner than many believe (less than 10 years according to all the environmental, weather,astronomical signs ,israel timelines etc showing ). It will happen without any warning , not one , in an instant , catching masses of people off guard just like God always does, ie the flood ~ a rude awakening . No one knows the exact day or hour the rapture will happen is a certainty . THE RAPTURE CAN HAPPEN NOW at ANY TIME make no mistake !! . Please awake to Christ Jesus which is the ONLY hope NOW and dont let it be found out it IS all true later when its too late & many have been left behind in the most terrible times the earth Has Ever experienced Before and ever will...for anyone who sees this and doesnt know what to do please If anyone hasnt given their life and heart to Christ Jesus will have REAL BIG problems way bigger than any problems Ever had If left here on earth after the Rapture . After the Rapture The USA , Worldwide , will face More evils , Inner city chaos, firearm wars etc etc ,power & water , food shortages , military invasions,mass executions (yes much blood will be required by antichrist ) etctec than it Has EVER been seen Before and you surely dont want to be Here then . We Have Time NOW to change , please seek Christ Jesus while there is still time to save ! no one knows the day or hour of the rapture it will start out just like any other day and it will Take Place In the day In Broad daylight/sunny day , In an Instant FLASH without ANY warning ,& there will be peoples Driver Ids, cell phones ,wallets found in various parking lots,Purses, bill folds Found at work etc etc with NO explanation , and People VANISHING so No One can refute it has taken place. .
romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shall be saved!
please share with others =IMPORTANT
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Information for anyone who has come across those that refute the
rapture and say that it was supposedly made up and say it was created by darby church in 1700s . This is real good to show it was way before darby , and its documented .
also rapture pre trib proofs even in dead sea scrolls .
15-1700s/ irenaeus 170ad/ 250 ad / /isidore 4th century
sourced by intense search and study by ken johnson
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Small cats are way better eating so if there killingsbig cats "to eat" is bs
I believe I’ve enjoyed this informational video most of all. We always love your content Dave. Keep up the great work!
This is my favorite of your videos. The message is a vital one. Thanks for your message of responsibility and accountability.
Thank You Catfish Dave for all your video's and sharing your wisdom. I respect you for bringing these issues of over fishing to attention. We as anglers need to take your example of a true sportsman and conservationist of our God givin fishing resources.
This is a really cool video man... I've seen the same progression in bass fishing on a couple lakes down here in Louisiana and Texas... Use to you'd see a few absolute monsters getting weighed in now its getting more and more rare to see anything in the teens... They've taken steps to bring back big fish with slot limits and if you send in the measurements and weight of a fish over 10lbs they'll send you a replica mount for free hoping to get more big fish turned loose. If I keep fish to eat when it comes to large mouth Bass if the fish is over 3lbs it goes back and unless I'm catching fish to eat they all go back. It's still going to take years to get the big fish back but with more people becoming aware of this the faster it'll bounce back. Great video brother keepem coming!!!
I agree totally! We fished perch on the bay of Green Bay in the early 90's with a 50 fish limit per day and everyone was getting a limit every time out. They counted vehicles on one landing driving out on the ice on a weekend and it was over 5000. At 100 fish per vehicle taken out per weekend at one of over 20 landings came to millions of perch being kept. Well 2 years of that and they had to put the limit to 5 a day, there were no fish. 30 years later its at 15 a day and still struggling to recover. Fisherman blamed it on commercial fishing, but we were the problem, no doubt! Strong believer in catch and release. Keep something to eat here and there but just be smart about it. Good video!
90s early internet time was the killer of a lot of I’ve fishing where people started to commute to different states and talk widely. In our area it happened too. Central New York
My grandparents told me the same stories about the smelt back in the 30s and 40s up north. People would swarm the area when the spawn happened and using garbage cans and massive nets to scoop them out of the river, familieswould end up with 10s of thousandsof those little sardine like fish. Well long story short they're all gone, nothing like the population that once was. Us humans cause all the problems we're a cancer on this planet.
I'm in western pa and pymatuning use to be 50 crappie no size ppl went during spawn and destroyed the population. It's a 9" 25 fish limit now and people are still keeping every crappie they catch there of lil 9" crappie 🤦🏼
If the commercial harvest employs gill nets, no surprise.
Perch populations boomed in the 80s into the early 90s like you said. During this time it’s also important to note that the alewife population was under threat of crashing completely. Alewives simply out compete all native species fry. There was also the expanding invasive mussels that played on the detriment in the later 80s. So while it could be blamed on fisherman, I would tend to lead towards the recreational salmon fisherman who wanted the alewives to stay stable in the new fishery. When they banned trawling for alewives in the 90s, we saw the perch start to get outcompeted again by alewives.
Thank you Dave for speaking out on this , motto has always been mums the word , those quality fish are a gift from the creator above and sharing the experience with him is enough.
Hey Dave. Dave what a great video and information. I'm an old guy so love knowing how things have developed and changed. Back in the 60's I fished Dale Hollow on the Ky. side. I hear it's no where near what it used to be. I'm at the point that I just don't keep fish unless I gut hook em or ruin their gills. I got store bought fish in the frig, No use killing our locals. I see what you're doing. Your taking it slow and enjoying that fish aren't ya? Thanks Dave, this was a great video.
Excellent video, sir ..thank you for speaking out - hope this message gets heard...My grandfather grew up in Cincinnati..he said he remembered many times seeing men carrying catfish from the Ohio River so large that the head was over their shoulder and the tail was dragging the ground...according to history I've read there used to be muskies (and who knows what else)in the Ohio, too..
Still is Muskie up on my part of the Ohio
@@FunkinWeTodd Glad to hear that , bro..thanks
awesome video that needed to be made, I have a cabin at bumpus mills marina around clarksville and the mid 90s had the best fishing ever, even in the 2000s and Dave moyer was 1 of the guides around, the word got out and everybody came from all over, and now you are lucky to catch a fish over 15 lbs. we always released anything over 12-14 lbs because you could catch all you wanted under 5 lbs to eat. we rarely fish up there anymore it is so bad
Thanks for bringing awareness to the issue at hand. It really hit home. I have had a guilt for a few years now, because I am guilty of ego issues, causing me to unintentionally killing a trophy flathead out of my local river. Long story short. I am blessed to live close to one of the deeper, and least pressured stretches of the Arkansas River. I was on a mission to catch a giant. My previous record was 34 lbs. (Landed)...had missed a 60 plus blue. 1 pound redear, was the live bait of choice that particular evening in mid July 2015. After a few hours into the night, it finally happened. Took me about 10 minutes,...really hard fight, from the bank. I landed him, (huge flathead right off of the nest) he hung from mid chest to the ground (I am 6'3")..I was so excited. I put him on my Berkeley digital scale, he maxed it out (50 lb. Limit on the scale). I had to know what he weighed (my ego thought any how). Took over an hour to get a proper scale to weigh him. He took his last breath in the process. It ended up going 51 and some change...what a shame. Nice fish, but i never intended to keep him. Ended up cleaning it, and had a fish fry for about a dozen people. He didn't taste as well as the smaller ones do, and i felt so guilty. Hindsight, i think that the picture was enough to tell my story (the exact weight was unnecessary). The fish was likely 20 years old, and not replaceable in a few years. Multiply my greed, by a few hundred.....nothing left for future generations. I wish I could do it over.
Excellent comment. Thank you.
I read a article way back in the mid 90s in north American fishermen mag a man caught like a 134 pound flat head out of the Arkansas River i can't rember why it was not the record
Thanks for this video Dave! I wish they would put a slot limit on Blues and Flatheads. I never minded people keeping some 2 to 5 pounders once in awhile but it’s insane these days!!! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome video love to hear the history and your veiw points. Keep up the great videos
Well said Dave, thank you for putting this video out! I REALLY hope people heed the warnings. Fishing pressure IS real.
Again, Thank You.
I've watched dozens of your videos and I think this is one of your best...
People don't get it. I preach catch and release to all who will listen. So glad you see you use your platform to do the same. Been a fan for years, this only grows my respect for ya. Thanks Dave.
I also stayed at that campground and we attended the worlds fair in 82. Small world, love your videos Dave!
So glad the bigger channels are pushing for catfish conservation. I've been wanting to do a video but no one will listen to a small fry like me. Thanks Dave💯👍
I think this is the best video you have put out. So much information that I hope others will absorb. I sure enjoy watching you catch fish. This video showcase the fact that pressure takes a toll on the catfish population. I live in Alabama, I fish the black warrior mainly. I have fished the Tombigbee some also. I hope you visit Alabama again soon. I saw videos of you doing very well in our state. I follow your videos very close. I am always checking for your newest video. Please keep sharing your videos for folks like me can learn to be a better fisherman.
I enjoy watching your fishing videos. Thank you for the content you put out. This video in particular brings to light the reality of the decimation of catfish due to ignorance and lack of respect for wildlife. You personally see this happening and I’m glad you’re exposing the over harvesting of fish for selfish reasons. I’m learning to fish thru yours and other youtuber videos. I do hope to catch a good size catfish someday. 5# is enough for me and release. Hope your video gets millions of views and the attention of the organization that sponsors catfish conference. Organizations like that can spread the word. You’ve done your part with this video. Thank You.
Glad to see someone with great influence talk about the problem of not abiding by catch and release. Even with strict laws and education, people tend to be selfish and keep every fish. I hope your expertise and influence helps. Thanks Dave
That right there is your best video ever IMO. I still read In-Fisherman, always trying to learn or pickup anything I can, on any species. I like to eat fish! But the big ones get released to propagate and the pan sized ones get released in hot peanut oil.
Great video, been watching ya for years now . I feel ya on the waters getting pressured, I been worried about that since early 2000s when the school were talk about river and lakes being over fished
Enjoy your history review Dave. I live 10 hrs southwest from you. My river system is small and hard to fish tight lines. Keep your video's coming.
Dawg gone good video my man. That's why conservation is so important. I hope this video gets millions of views.
Excellent video and such an important message. Thank you and please keep spreading the word.
Kudos to you, Dave, for speaking the truth about our fish. I live in NC where we have been getting some 100+# fish lately. We all love to see these monsters and good on the guys that land them. You are right to caution the fishermen. The time necessary to get a fish that size, the quality of water needed, the food needed, it staggers the mind when you think about it. We don't have to eat those fish or mount them. We can take pictures or videos. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your warning. We ALL have to be responsible and respectful of the resources that we have.
I appreciate all the knowledge you have given me about how to catch cats and thank you sincerely for this video sharing how to leave big fish for our children. Thank you, sir!
I really enjoyed this one Dave. I agree 100% that fishing pressure is real. We’re seeing a similar situation in West Texas.
Hey brother I had back surgery couple weeks ago been watching a hot more of ur videos this one I did I enjoy I’ve been blessed with a fire over 60 lbs. Got then at Santee cooper really in joy watching I try to leave the bid ones to for my grand kids someday. Keep fishing Brother. 🎣
Thanks Dave for being some one who cares! Takes a lot of courage to post videos like this but it’s the truth! Every one needs to know how important it is to release these fish. Don’t like hearing about people killing deer just for big racks. Only take what you intend on using. Leave everything else alone. Keep it up Dave!
Congratulations on your 78 thousand subs Dave.....keep on digging my man!!
Good morning Dave,
Been following you for years you have put me on some nice fish from the little techniques and tricks I've learned from you I'm a bank fisherman.
Thanks for the Frank assessment of your Tennessee Waters and what's going on I guess I'm just going to stay right here in northeast Texas. Unfortunately people removing large fish in the water is not just happing in Tennessee it's happening here in Texas too.
I love catching flatheads but most the Big flatheads nowadays are noodled and are taken home and put in lake Crisco.
I don't eat a lot of catfish but when I do they're small I always tell folks eat the grandkids and like grandpa and grandma go they're the ones making all the babies for us all.But it's a hard thing to sell every were. Growing up in the south I too fish for food for my family for substance in Florida and Georgia when I was a boy so I don't mind folks catching fish I just wish they'd let the big ones go.
Anyhow I'm writing the book God bless you tight lines and big cats and has always brother much peace and love from northeast Texas 🤠✌️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸✨🧸✨
Great but sad video Dave. The whole planets under pressure. Here in Alaska our salmon are disappearing on the Yukon river. I mean gone. This river is the size of your Mississippi. Greed is what wiped it out pure and simple. Our days ahead look grim unless we become more conscious of our action to our world. Thanks for your thoughts.
Another great video, it’s not just catching the fish it’s what you people do after you catch the fish I think one thing is to get your pictures and then release them so everyone can enjoy catching them ones there gone there gone for a long long time if not for ever. Thank you Master Catfish Dave
Awesome show Dave .
Everybody please practice catch and release.
Well I never really comment on anything that I see on videos but Dave this was a well put together conversation about fish pressure on lakes nice giving me a different perspective on catch and release thanks Dave for the information and thanksDave for teaching me how to Catch bigCatfish and now how to release them
Well said here in Idaho in my lifetime our mismanaged wildlife and fisheries have been permanently degraded by overharvest and poor management everyone wants to pass the buck on why yet the cause is plane as day why.! it's a very sad commentary yet true! Thanks Mr, Dave
Dave I haven’t even finished this video but god bless for a dynamite topic and presentation son!
Really appreciate the conservation part of the video but I really liked more of the backstory of the man behind the legend of Catfish Dave! Thanks!!
Dave, really enjoyed this type of video & I hope you make more like it.
In my area of Oklahoma it's pretty poor and just like deer hunting where guys don't let young bucks pass by here they don't throw back big catfish very often but instead keep & eat them I guess because they need food on the table. The number of trotlines here would surprise you I think & people always put the heads on fence post to show how many big fish they've kept.
Great video. Hopefully something happens to protect the catfish. The commercial fishing in my home water the ohio river has been destroyed to the paylake industry. It will just be a matter of time before many other rivers are depleted of the big fish. The James river is the new commercial fishing ground to stock the Tri sates of ohio,Kentucky, Indiana paylakes. Sadly the big fish will be far and few. One of the best videos you have produced. It took me years to wake up and truly understand what I had supported for a couple years. Sometimes you have to make mistakes to learn in life. I did meet my best friend at a paylake so i can't beat myself up to bad.. Now we fish lakes and rivers.. thanks for a great video
Best catfish Dave video ever 👏👏👏 i knew Jim Moyer, Doug Stange etc back in the day-- not well but i know exactly what you are saying. Thanks for letting everyone know the real truth about huge catfish ... how long it takes to get them and how easily they will dissapear if people dont realize the rarity of these giants and handle them well when they do catch them and release them to do what they do-- enjoy them for a few moments. We should talk someday. Thanks again,
Thanks Dave for a great video and information. I’m in central Alabama and 30 minutes to 1-1/2 hours away from several great river systems, the Alabama river, Tombigbee river, Warrior river, Coosa and Tallapoosa river. If you ever have a few days to fish Alabama we’d be honored to have you down. I’m not a cat fisherman but would love to go after some big ones one day. We use to fish trot lines and the biggest was a 59# flathead, but I know there are some giants here. Thanks again, Adrian
Thank you Dave! I really enjoyed this video. Once again Dave the tell it like it is. Watts bar just In the four years I have been fishing it. The numbers of people catfishing has gone from a few to what it seams like now is millions. I can never go to any of the dams here and not have 20 or more people fishing for skip jack. Their numbers have gone from tons down to sometimes nilly. As for big cats now anything over 30 your doing good. Big fish numbers are way down mostly due to commercial fishing. I have scene them come in with mny fish over 30 pounds they don't have to worry about the rules because fish and game you never see. Except for the 1st week of March sp they can write a million tickets for people who have forgotten to renew thier license. Sad just sad
Sad for sure. And fishing beds. I’ve never understood why people keep fish caught on bed. You’re just killing your future populations. I love to fish for bluegill. I’ll see videos of bluegill fishermen keeping everything they catch while the fish are guarding the bed. I just don’t understand it.
I often think the same of skipjack. Everyone is after them. I let all of my catfish go and it seems things are going that way for the most part. Just got back from Watts Bar this week from NC. Caught a few upper 20s and one 30lb blue. Absolutely Beautiful lake
This is why we have cameras and tape measures
Thank you for sharing man, very interesting 👍
I used to do the same thing Dave! Couldn't wait to get that magazine back in the day. I still have many of those magazines believe it or not. I saved them!
We seeing the same pressure on Keer Lake/ Buggs Island in VA and we seeing a decline since the world record was caught. Thanks for this video.
Same thing happened with the Okie Noodling documentary. Was a time when I was young that only a very small number of people did it in the waters that I grew up on. One year after that documentary came out I noticed quite a few more people doing it. The next year there was boats lined up for about 300 yards on one stretch of under water highway, Same on the opposite shore. All noodling. Everywhere on the bank with big slab rock, there was people noodling. This went on every weekend during the spawn.
Great vid! I got into catfishing because it wasn't bass fishing, and it wasn't as popular as cat fishing. I've noticed it gain popularity, with that, fishing pressure. I'm not for additional rules, but I really feel like there should be rules about not keeping either fish that are too small or too large. I see many of these posts on social media where people are pulling out 70lb + fish and have them in the back of their pick up trucks, wonder how many nuggets they got out of them? Those fish should have been released, IMHO. Keep up the good work on your vids
Thanks Dave for the video,we do catch and release also, God bless everyone who wants to preserve fishing for the next generation.
KY/Barkley lake had the slab crappie, Reelfoot had the bluegills and the magazines and tourism bureaus hyped them up. KY put a size limit on and they've rebounded some, but nowhere like the cooler filling heydays, and I've heard Reelfoot isn't the same as it used to be either. Good luck and God bless.
When I was a kid me and my dad could go out on a Saturday and Catch loads of fish on a zebco 33 and a little cheep fiberglass rod.Now there are probably 5 Tournaments a week after each tournament you can stay around and pick up the dead fish floating.These people have killed our lake.RIP Norris.
Dave everything you shared is spot on. But here is the deal....I have met many older fisherman over the years who are very tight lipped. There is a reason for that. The fishing industry whether it is bass, crappie or in your case catfish has become a multi billion dollar business. BILLION....that is not a exaggeration but fact. I have seen this same problem with the overall bass population in one of my home lakes which is Guntersville. Not to long ago Guntersville was in the top ten lakes in the country for big bass. The word got out and before you know it major bass events started holding major tournaments on Lake Guntereville. The weights use to be massive. It was very common out of a 5 fish limit to have 28-30 pounds. Guntersville still has quality fish but you have to know how to target them and know how to follow them each day. Factor in all the out of state people and you have problems. I have been fishing for over 40 years now and back in the 70's if you had a 14 foot flat bottom with a 20 horse mercury on it you were considered and wealthy and pro fisherman. Even back in the eighties I could take off work during the week and places like goosepond and waterfront you might see three trailers in the parking lot. Now.....it seems like nobody works because every day of the week every ramp is packed. I think technology has got the best of us as well. The electronics that are on the market now removes a lot of skill. The mapping and live target can make the average fisherman look like a pro. Back in the old days you had to line up land marks to mark your spots and hope you knew how to read a hummingbird super 60 flasher if you had the pleasure of owning one. Everyone is responsible for killing lakes and in fisherman is not the only one and neither were you. But as we all enjoy your videos and appreciate what you do, pros like you are also creating the problems of a lakes decline. I am not bashing you by no means but when you become an expert like you have over the years you end up painting a bullseye on your back and the lakes you fish. There will be a time when all of us must make a decision and that decision is do we try and continue making videos, fishing tournaments, advertising our products, continue guiding and putting our clients on fish or will we step back and realize that our passion and love for the sport is the main reason why our waters are being depleted. I am an avid crappie and smallmouth fisherman and I made my mind up years ago that I will no longer fish tournaments or share detailed information with others. I have seen the results of me being too open and sharing my knowledge and patterns. When you came to Guntersville and fished the main bridge going over Guntersville on hwy 431/231 your were set up on the Guntersville side of the bridge with buck island in the background and Alred Islands just down from the bridge over your right shoulder....or the time you were fishing right below BB Comer bridge or that creek up from bridge port?. I know all these areas like the back of my hand and now many other do to. It's action like this that get out of towners and even locals covering up a river system very similar to your fort louden. Me, you and many others are part of the problem. When will we draw the line?
100% !!! DO NOT TALK About SPOTS ..l unless it’s a very close member of your circle. The internet killed a lot of fishing in a lot of areas in the late 90s
Many more should have liked and replied and AGREED to this comment and it’s written really respectfully. Thank you. Landmarks and knowledge were the two main factors of fishing in the past, I could walk out a mile on a lake and know what depths I was at with drop offs and ledges with a couple of holes drilled , no finder or depth finder. Graph, sonar… just my knowledge and feel for the water I was fishing. It’s definitely not the same and it’s definitely taking a toll on bodies of water
You do a nice job of respectfully telling someone it's their fault. Make sure you unsubscribe and stop watching the content if you are gonna tell him he is the problem. Jackass.
Dave's absolutely right i have watched this happen from far east TN all the way down to Knoxville nobody does catch and release. And it has ruined our local fisheries.
My Son and I really enjoy your video's Dave, We bank fish the Green River near Calhoun KY, We put everything back over 10 pounds, And don't keep all those. Thanks for the good advice and tips my friend.
Thanks for talking about conservation and catch and release…. We have a length slot on blue cats on lake of the Ozarks
Hello Catfish Dave. You ever fish the lake at Dale Hollow Dam?
I have a friend of mines family is in Celina Tenn. (Clarke Burford fisheries ) was there.
I grew up on the Chattahoochee. In Smiths Station. GOAT ROCK Damn. Area. Columbus Georgia was on the other side. The water release area was deep but then there rocks that trapped fish between them and the dam... a guy sunk a brand new bass rig. So he hired a dive team to go get that boat.. lol. That main diver went down and when he came up he was as white as the bottom of well a Catfish 😂 he said a darn Catfish tried to swallow him😅 he said that man could keep his money, that boat and that bleep bleep bleeping catfish!!! I love it. When old Alan Jackson sings about that river I think of the diver. And yes I saw ... But 150' from the Chattahoochee, Alan JACKSON sing about that river haha
Love your videos. That was a rock hard Cat you caught at the 30 min mark.....
Keep catching them itty bitty kitty's 😂
Great video Dave and great message. Nothing wrong with keeping some fish to eat when you need them and releasing the rest. I read through a lot of the comments about the impact of paylakes, etc. i get it. I dont see much mention of all these catfish tournaments and their impact on the fishery. Im sure some are ran better than others, some people handle their fish better than others, etc. But ive often wondered what the mortality rate is on fish that are caughtt, hauled around in livewells, weighed, etc then released. A while back on facebook somebody posted some weigh in footage and a large fish was laying on the ground flopping around. Hope he survived.
Back in the 90's my first big cat rod was a Rhino rod a friend gave me because I went swimming for it. A catfish jerked it into the water so I swam for it and fought the catfish while swimming back to shore.
We need a slot limit on catfish. I don't keep anything over ten pounds, not good eating bigger than that anyway. Come on people..
But the hundred pounders come from the 10 pounders that people are eating them need to go back too
Yup you're right,
Dave thats a great message . I watch people here keep nice trophy fish . I wish they would put a limit on our blues and flat heads but they havnt . Sad to see really . Keep being a spokesman for the fish they need folks like you that can speak up for them .
Thank you Dave for telling it like it is. People just don’t care about the future of the the fish population. I only keep to eat fish below 8 pound fish. And I only keep enough for a meal at a time. I can always go get more for another meal if I’m lucky. People don’t realize that there are 20 eating size fish for every one of the 20 pound fish out there now days. And the monster catfish that number is about a thousand to one.
Don`t have to worry about that in Ohio only allowed to keep one a day over 26". If it was a monster I might try to keep it alive to weigh for a state record then release it but if there isn`t opportunity to save it a picture will do.
I love you're videos and the knowledge you share exp from years of being on a body of water is something i respect deeply. I myself have a completely different experience of middle Tennessee, granted much briefer and noway compares in any way to the kevel youbare at. But my 2020 let's say was my best catfish year of my life. Leading up to then I've always been a small creek and pond type of fisherman biggest cat was 8lb 60z my grandma weighed it on butcher scales I was hooked but didn't have any direction or mentoring yrs later I'm traveling the country working doing hvac work I'm in Nashville during the pandemic almost all of 2020 during this time I catch my p.b blue out of the Cumberland in downtown Nashville basically almost 55lbs then when the waters dropped in like may June I caught my p.b flathead on the stone river about a quarter mile up from were it spills Into the Cumberland on the edge of town out close to the Opryland mall I caught the mist white bass ever from the Cumberland and my biggest spotted gar I love the Cumberland and I released everything I caught except bait lol
Ya Dave your a 100 percent right..My favorite place growing up in the 80-90s Field and stream ran several hit peaces calling a it a blue ribbon fishing spot..so ever knot head that passed a sports store from states around was out there beating a froth on the water..know its just ruined..I've always practiced catch and release accept a few for the fryin pan..love the vids man!!!
Preach it brother 🙏 I love cat fishing and I love carp fishing. So I can tell ya I feel ya. I'm an Englishman that lives in NY and it breaks my heart to see bow fishing after the 40,50 and 60 lb carp just to put it on there garden so sad. A 60lb carp can take 40 yrs to grow. Please make more videos on this the word needs to get out there. 🙏🙏🙏
30:25 - Thar he is! Yah! "This is a fishing video..." 🐬 🐈 🐋 Dave, thanks for a great video!
I knew a guy on the Muskingum river just above the dam at McConnellsville , he would catch carp about 2 pounds and throw them out on the bank early in the day. That night he would cut them in about 4 pieces and had a huge hook{i think it was a shark hook} and tie it to about 30 feet of rope and toss it off the bank. He caught 25 to 40 pound fish all the time in the 70s and he fed them to his cats.
The one and only catfish I have ever kept was a 60+ pounder I caught at South Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi. I foul hooked it and ended up dragging it backwards for about 45 minutes (was on 12lb line) to the point where it was pretty much done by the end. I believe that is actually the only fish I have kept in the previous 25 years.
I've been watching your videos for about 2 years now people just don't realize the pressure they put on certain fishing areas it's not just individuals it's everybody
Wow the experience and knowledge this guy has is very hard to find.. I’ve fished all my life mainly just for bass.. catfish fishing is so much harder because it can be such a waiting game.. this guys probably spent more hours on the water than I have been alive
Thanks for the video we needed this for I our fishery. Hopefully Justin will do something similar.
I remember Doug Stangy from the old catfish insider. That was the magazine then !
In Michigan, our state record Flathead is 52 & my buddies PB from last year is over 45. He fishes at night w live Bluegills, in urban areas. He would love to show Catfish Dave his spots. Lots of guys release big fish here. Most guys fish for Walleye & perch & there are warnings not to eat Catfish. Freshwater Drum fishing here is world class. Most guys don't keep them either. The call them Sheepshead & Walleye fisherman call them farm animals.
I’m from MI originally and I never caught anything but a Chanel cat as far as a catfish, I knew they were there but we NEVER targeted them because there are so much better fish to catch up there lol, the hunting/fishing is the only thing I miss about Michigan lol, keep them fudgies at bay.
Great videos, keep up the great fishing. Are the fish in the Tennessee river safe to eat?
Same story all over. It was snapper, grouper, king mackerel, and redfish where I grew up. My dads era boated giants routinely. By the mid nineties, it was done. Regulations came in, so d fish bounced back. Redfish had a moratorium and they’ve bounced back the best. The red snapper edged through the last 20 years have been extremely tough for the charter guys, but something has to be done. You can’t just leave it open season.
I saw an article that said back in the day when MO. fisheries biologists were doing surveys of people fishing, they assumed every boat on the water was bass fisherman. They also didn't survey bank fisherman. Now they do both. They ask the boaters what they are fishing for and have started talking the people fishing on the bank. It is virtually a 3 way tie between people fishing for catfish, crappie and bass. Factual surveys are needed everywhere but getting all the states to comply is gonna take some doing. Have a good day and thanks for this video.
Dave it's just as bad in my area in alabama on the tennessee river. People are coming from all over as far as Missouri and Montana to get our skipjack from below the guntersville dam, they are taking 300 skipjack at a time and selling them for 5 dollars a piece to catfish tournaments, and the limit is 100 a day. I remember back in the 90s it was hard not to catch a skipjack, you could catch them from the bank easy, now you have to go way out in the middle of the river to locate a few and the game wardens aren't doing anything about it.
Sometime in the Late 90's the dredged the river too. I used to LOAD up on catfish near the Marine Arsenal. After they dredged it, the fishing fell WAY off.
Dave, I must have lived very close to where you are. My family moved to Knoxville in 83’ we only stayed there for 11 months. I fished Fort Louden lake.
My family owned a marina on Jonathan Creek on Kentucky lake. I was 9 years old and started tossing a blakemore roadrunner jig. Everyone was using jiggs but they didn’t have the spinners. This was a game changer and the exact same situation happened. Kentucky Lake was featured in magazines. Tournaments moved in and the bio mass was destroyed. We caught crappies over 3# several times a week. We stopped going. It sounds narcissistic to say but introducing that roadrunner jig definitely had an impact.
Look at florida- I run offshore charters and I could say the exact same thing about the fishing in saltwater. That’s enough fish being taken to hurt fish populations and that from the oceans
You never miss the water till the well runs dry...
The state record flathead was caught on my home river in my town.
I saw a boat from PA trying to put in last year on the way back north from santee cooper. They had a big V hull walleye boat. There was 4ft of water at that time you need a jet boat to run it. I tried telling them, they got stuck on a sandbar.
Been all kinds of yuppies all over since that record flathead was caught.
I going to santee in May hope to catch big one but I never catch any huge fish when I go just the teens/20s maybe 30 or so
You in PA?
@@BigT42l994 na, NC
30:15-30:16 what were you doing Dave? All I know is that I was in the middle of taking a drink, and all of a sudden my drink came roaring out of my nose lmao. I imagined/saw you in slow motion falling over the side lol
I wish you would come down to cullman, Alabama to Lewis smith lake and see how it is here
Honorable video. Too much pressure and poor release techniques all over youtube. How long does it take to gently release these amazing fish? I know catfish are tough but all species should be released with care. Everytime no matter the size. Thank you for all of your videos. Especially this one.
Same thing is happening now in Texas but to both our bass and catfish lakes. Lake Fork and OH Ivie have been ruined and Tawakoni and Texoma are being ruined.
I moved to kodak (right outside Knoxville) 4 years ago and was looking for to catching some monster cats. Haven't caught anything over 15 pounds the entire time. The pay lake in Georgia was called twin bridges and had a 104 pound blue cat as the headliner. And he was brought down from fort Loudon in the late 90s. Sad to see fishing going down hill.
The same in our creeks , fished out , enjoyed the video your are spot on
This is so true. Here in Az you can not transfer fish to different bodies of water legally. Dave you have helped myself and many others to catch catfish with your videos. What I was always taught if you want fish to eat keep one under 10lbs they taste better.
Same in ID. We aren’t allowed any live bait either which is kind of a shame for those of us targeting flatheads. How are the live bait laws down there?
@@gagetaylor769 depends on the waters. Bluegill and carp or fresh shad are legal from those waters but cannot be transferred
alot of good info Dave, I live close to Wilson Lake in AL. word has got out about how good it is and get is getting pounded. I've been fishing it close to 40 years, I use to fish it and not see another cat fisherman all day
U ain't never caught a big fish
When u gonna take me Mark Hendon
Please
Amazing video Dave!!