The story goes that the man was fishing around the Friant Dam, when, while he was moving around, accidentally knocked off the boat motor. He was able to make it to shore using the trolling motor, but decided that he wanted to try to retrieve the motor as it was new and he had paid a lot for it.
The man rented some dive equipment and returned the next weekend. To lift his motor back to the surface, he took with him several large balloons that he would fill with a small auxiliary tank that would lift the motor back to the surface. After descending to the bottom, he began searching for his motor. After several minutes he came across something that he wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen it for himself. Staring at him was an extremely large catfish. According to him the mouth was so big it could have easily have swallowed him. He estimated the length to be between 8-10' long. This was a quick estimate has he didn't stick around long enough to get a thorough look at it. Needless to say he got the hell out of there and never did retrieve his motor.
Now I don't know if this story is just another variant of the big fish that got away or something else, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I know back east, especially in the south large catfish have been known to be caught. Some even match the descriptions that I mentioned above. And catfish do have a fast growth rate, and they continue to grow all there life.
I wouldn't be surprised if there were several large catfish at the bottom of Millerton Lake near the dam hiding where no one will bother them. Their only company a forgotten motor boat engine that has long since rusted away.
32 comments:
The biggest catfish I ever caught was about 4 and a half foot long, 62 pounds, and put up a big fight.
There's only one real way to catch a fish like this, it's called noodling. Native to Oklahoma, I'm here to share it with Cali...
Google it if you like. It's NOT for the faint of heart...
I've seen noodling before, but only on TV. Not sure if it's done here, at least I don't know anyone who has.
The largest cat I ever saw was a (relatively) small 14 pounder my step dad caught at Hensley. But I've seen pics of people that had caught larger ones like you mentioned.
There was a story in the Bee the other day about a local guy who had caught several huge stripped bass at Millerton. I searched for the story online with no luck. But, here's a
story about a giant sturgeon.
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/may/07/huge-sturggeon-surfaces-at-lake-shasta/
I think you need to tie this all together in a UFO/catfish conspiracy type thing. Catfish are just plain nasty looking, and certainly look like they could be from alien DNA. Look into it.
I only care if they are frying it. Because I want some!
@Dale: I saw that article, guy made me jealous. I actually went sturgeon fishing with my step dad years ago and it was one of the best trips I had. Those things fight like crazy.
@JohnJayJay: I could possibly do that, but you need to hang out with us more. If you do that then maybe I will look into this connection.
@Carrie: Not sure how they would taste, I remember eating the 14lb cat my step dad caught and it didn't really taste that good. Something about the older they get the tougher the meat is or something.
Would love to. Next time youre out and about with the crew shoot me a text and we'll hook up. (559 259 8239)
The "catfish" caught in the Philippines is not a catfish it is a whale shark. Look it up.
I think you guys should call or get a hold of Jeremy Wade the guy off the show River Monsters. He will be able to catch the monster.
This catfish story is very true there is a giant catfish at the bottom of millerton lake.About 15 years ago me and my ucles were floating out to dirt mound in a tube,as we got about half way out i spotted what seem to be a clear frizzbee type of plastic upon retreiving it and getting a better look at it turnd out to be an eye lid of a very large fish.The lid measured 12 inches across,this carrys over about 4 years later when me and my aunt went fishing while the danm was realy low,and decide to fish down the dam we were there for a while without a bite until we both started losing our bait continuisly,i thought we were losing it on the bed of rocks that was in front of us so i went up top to check our cast.As i got to the top i just froze at what i saw a giant greyish fish that looked to be about 10 feet in length i yelled at my aunt to come uo and check for herself but when i told her she kept trying to cast her line out to catch it which was impossible ever since than i will never go swimming in millerton lake true story i put that on every one of my family memebers.
I believe it. This past July I went camping to Millerton Lake. Around 11 pm, we decided to take a ride on my boat. I was almost at the dam area when I saw what looked like 6-8 ft log on the surface about 20 ft away from the boat. I quickly turned around and what was on the surface had quickly disappeard. My friends wondered what it was. I told them that it was probably a big catfish that was swimming on the surface. I bet there are some big fish in there.
The biggest catfish that I ever caught was out of a private pond up in Northern Cali. It was the summer of 1985 and I was 6 months pregnant with my second son. This bitch of a fish kept steeling every rig I through out to it, finally, I got smart and put on a steel leader and a live cricket, She weighed in at 74.4 lbs and was almost 6 feet long. I got all my rigs back, she had 'em all, needless to say, she was some good eating' catfish, we barbecued her and berried the eggs back in the pond. Now, the hatched eggs help keep the duck population down in that pond!!!!!!
I dont doubt that there are some huge catfish down there! You have to figure that the lake was made in the 1940's and has a maximum depth of 319 feet with most of it around the 200 foot mark so it is very likely that there is some that are 60 years old or more still lurking about. It sure would be "exciting" to find one of these swimming next to you! =)
I am 37 years old and have gone to Millerton lake a lot when i was younger..kid age..and i remember being told about divers that went into the lake and came out scared because they saw an eye of a giant catfish the size of a frizbee looking right at them. I also remember that the catfishes nickname from the other locals was "General" or "The General" i have never forgotten the stories i have heard about him. He definately has been in that lake for quite some time.
I know there are monster catfish my pops and i caught one there 10 years ago it was at least 100 pounds we had a hell of a time luggin that sucker in the boat we put the cat back but we still have pictures was a excellent fish I just wanna catch a stripier there :(
My friends dad had just told me a story about his uncle who was scuba diving on the walls of the dam along the bottom and had felt what was like a current. He turned around and pointed his flash light, because you couldn't see without it in the dark, and saw what looked so big it was prehistoric. His uncle didn't have exact detail of its whole body, but the cat fish had such a big whisker it was a foot around!
I think there is giant cat fish there we need to call one of those people from a show to catch one to prove it. Raider Ball
I tried contacting the "river monsters" dude to go there but i got no reply, so i guess he's scared lol. No doubts theres monsters in there tho.
My father owned Bill's Sanger Custom Upholstery for years and met all manner of people. He told me the same story of some divers refusing to perform maintenance on the dam without a cage. They claimed that they ran into catfish as well as carp as big as a man. They would swim right up and "bump" you. There are several stories circulating that are similar in nature. Kernel(s) of truth here?
I've heard this story too for years. One of these days, Im gonna get myself a big ol' piece of cheese and go get that guy.
We used to go up there to the lake
and stay on my parents friends houseboat a lot in the summer growing up. And My now brother-in-law told me how there was a giant catfish down by the dam as big as a diesel cab. I'm (50) years old now, and I have never swam in that lake or any other place that I cannot see the bottom. Only in a pool will I swim. I used to like to water-ski there in high school but wont get knee deep to this day.
When I standing on the dam looking down at the lake about 100/150 feet below I saw a fish swimming along the dam. Now what was great about that ? It was about 10 to 18 feet long. It was a long time ago but I know what I saw.
Dave Swanson
801-860-0072
I was fishing last night with a couple of my friends at hensley lake madera ca. We had been there maybe 5 hours fishing for cat fish got a couple fish. Around 3 am we see this bird looking thing i want to say it was easily 20 feet in lenght huge bird and it made a horrible noise. Has anyone else seen this thing?
Anon, what you saw may have been what's known as a Thunderbird. Many in the area have seen it. I wrote about it here: http://www.weirdfresno.com/2011/06/large-bird-like-creature-seen-in-fresno.html
I actually believe this story cause its not the first time ive heard something like it. My dad told me a story that his dive instructor at one of the fresno dive shops would do work on the dam at millerton. he told my dad that he went down to do some repair work and a huge cat swam by him so big he said he would never dive that lake again. untill the 90's quake when he had to repair a large hole in the dame and got sucked through. rather the story is true ill never know. just thought id share since i saw this article
Probably a Very large flathead catfish look it up the head are massive and they can grow over 100 pounds! They were introduced to Cali a while back like the blue catfish, bullhead, and channe! Just a massive flathead in the lake!
I think so too! After thinking about it more and more I would love to see him do an episode on Millerton lake because all my life growing up around that lake I have heard countless people tell me that there is a giant catfish at the bottom by the dam. The workers claim that when they go down to clean the bottom of the dam they will only go in a huge cage because so many claim they have seen big joe.
I used to work up at the lake and the man that had to recover bodies from the lake had told stories about large catfish that scared the dickens out of you ... being that I worked in the headquarters office I had access to records files and it seems I recall seeing a picture of a large catfish approximately 6 foot long so yes it is very very possible that the stories are true
I've swam in millerton lake for about 15 years i can say for the most part i havent seen any big catfishes anywhere except by the dam ppl are really scared of them but there gentle giants ive swam with these giants and yes the rumors are true thetes quite a few of them 15- 20 feet long but theres a even older and bigger fish in there that would put a great white to shame. Dont believe me then come out to millerton and take a dive with me.
I have been to Millerton lake so many times in my life and found this very interesting. After reading the article and all the comments I went ahead and talked about it with a friend. Well turns out she had actually heard of this "animal" before, interesting though; it is said that the "animal" will actually pick its victim way before they even touch the water. That it will pick a soul and if getting in the water was not in your plans, it will call you in. She said its not a fish, more like a reptile, big and long!
Does any one have any pictures of these large CatFish that they can share. or can tell me where I might be able to find one on line.
Thà nk you
I would like to see the biggest cat fish catch recorded on milertons lake on picture
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