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Post by cyclist on Apr 3, 2024 9:59:01 GMT -5
I have been buying wild caught catfish that the fishmoger says is from Palatka river, which I assume is the St. Johns. 4.49$ a pound, and its very good.
St Johns sound likely? Hope its downstream from the plant!
Panco fried whole, wonderful!
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Post by Stumpy on Apr 3, 2024 17:58:21 GMT -5
Yum... a mess of channel catfish is good. I like to use the panko on fish. Where do you buy the catfish?
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Post by cyclist on Apr 3, 2024 21:16:59 GMT -5
Super tasty.
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Post by swampdog on Apr 4, 2024 12:40:28 GMT -5
Looks pretty good to me. I’d fry up 6 or 8 quickly.
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Post by ferris1248 on Jun 3, 2024 10:38:49 GMT -5
There's a world of difference between farm raised and wild catfish.
I used to get them from a guy who fished the Altamaha River up here in Georgia.
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Post by PolarsStepdad on Jun 26, 2024 18:51:56 GMT -5
I love them. It's a shame every boat ramp on the chattahoochee has signs warning you not to eat the fish
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Post by jcbcpa on Jun 27, 2024 9:56:39 GMT -5
There's a world of difference between farm raised and wild catfish. I used to get them from a guy who fished the Altamaha River up here in Georgia. Channel cat or Flathead? I had a neighbor that fished the Flint all the time and he would bring me flathead's. They're hard to beat as far a catfish go.
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Post by ferris1248 on Jun 27, 2024 14:24:06 GMT -5
There's a world of difference between farm raised and wild catfish. I used to get them from a guy who fished the Altamaha River up here in Georgia. Channel cat or Flathead? I had a neighbor that fished the Flint all the time and he would bring me flathead's. They're hard to beat as far a catfish go. flatheads.
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Post by bswiv on Jun 29, 2024 5:39:13 GMT -5
I have been buying wild caught catfish that the fishmoger says is from Palatka river, which I assume is the St. Johns. 4.49$ a pound, and its very good.
St Johns sound likely? Hope its downstream from the plant!
Panco fried whole, wonderful!
Still a few guys working hoopnets in Crescent & George.......and while I have not seen anyone pulling them there is a good chance someone is still at that too. Catfish numbers in the river......all the way to the Dames Point Bridge.....yes.....I've caught freshwater cats while fishing for flounder up there a time or two.....are extremely good. Hardly anyone targets them recreationally the way was done 50-60 years ago. Not saying that plenty aren't still caught but rather that so many of the boats out fishing docks and points these days are redfish focused.......and these folks usually toss cats back. The gentleman who caught cats for us passed away a couple of three years ago, his heart giving him fits when he fished did not stop him and he died in the saddle. We used to catch quite a few speckled and butter cats in the main stem of the river but now most of them are up the creeks, at least in the Fruit Cove area. And here's a interesting thing I'd not thought about in a while................... Eel chunks, or chunks of stink shad ( gizzard ), the eel staying on the hook better, used on a trotline that is set up off the bottom some so as to deter the crabs will catch some of the biggest cats you can imagine. Mr. Gamble would set lines with tiny wire hooks and small bait, the idea being that any big fish that took the small bait would pull of and he'd not have to mess with them. But.....for a while.....we had a couple of wholesale customers who would take, even preferred the big fillets.......3-4 or more ponds each. And that is the fillets! Takes a stud cat to make a more than 4 pound fillet. To catch those......he'd do as mentioned with the setting.....and of course use stout hooks and the eel or chunks of stink shad.....or even chunks of crab now and again. And......if you want to catch some really big cats on a hook......4-5 inch shiners fished along the edge of the grass ( If we ever get grass again! ) in the spring. The big cats bed like the bass so you'll catch them cruising the edge the same way.
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Post by 4ward on Jun 29, 2024 7:45:22 GMT -5
In the mid 90’s when I lived in Melrose, we had a few lakes that had a bunch of buttercats. We would target them from time to time and have a catfish party. They weren’t very big but, fried whole with cheese grits and beer…Good stuff
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Post by swampdog on Jun 29, 2024 7:58:25 GMT -5
If I remember correctly channel cats need moving water to spawn and are a riverine species normally. We enjoyed them from the Withlacoochee River when I was growing up. They are often stocked in ponds and lakes but don’t spawn in those areas. If I’m incorrect maybe a fishery biologist can step in. Anyway they are excellent and I’d chow down on any of the wild caught ones.
Oh btw we did eat some farm raised a ton of years ago in Mississippi and there was a taste difference. I think the wild fish may have more muscle and therefore the flesh seems firmer.
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Post by ferris1248 on Jun 29, 2024 9:01:07 GMT -5
If I remember correctly channel cats need moving water to spawn and are a riverine species normally. We enjoyed them from the Withlacoochee River when I was growing up. They are often stocked in ponds and lakes but don’t spawn in those areas. If I’m incorrect maybe a fishery biologist can step in. Anyway they are excellent and I’d chow down on any of the wild caught ones. Oh btw we did eat some farm raised a ton of years ago in Mississippi and there was a taste difference. I think the wild fish may have more muscle and therefore the flesh seems firmer. What you said. Farm raised seems watery or mushy to me. Maybe it is the muscle being worked more.
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Post by spearit on Jul 22, 2024 13:09:01 GMT -5
If I remember correctly channel cats need moving water to spawn and are a riverine species normally. We enjoyed them from the Withlacoochee River when I was growing up. They are often stocked in ponds and lakes but don’t spawn in those areas. If I’m incorrect maybe a fishery biologist can step in. Anyway they are excellent and I’d chow down on any of the wild caught ones. Oh btw we did eat some farm raised a ton of years ago in Mississippi and there was a taste difference. I think the wild fish may have more muscle and therefore the flesh seems firmer. Channel catfish need to have a cavity to spawn in. They will use holes in the bank, root balls or whatever else they can find. They don't typically spawn in ponds unless there is suitable spawning habitat.
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Post by swampdog on Jul 22, 2024 13:47:02 GMT -5
I agree spear, they don’t spawn in lakes. We often netted channel cats in hollow logs in the river. Place a net on each end and game on.
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Post by illinoisfisherman on Aug 11, 2024 23:04:32 GMT -5
Biggest flathead I ever saw was in a puddle at the bottom of Horseshoe Dam outside of Phoenix Arizona
Bigger than the tailgate on a Ford truck
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