cathauler!

[alantani]

hopefully robert will tell us the story!  and note the very nice handle on the reel!

[DaBigOno]

That's a fatfish...

[Shark Hunter]

WOW! That's a big Cat!

[spottybastard]

Isn't that one of those "Wells" catfish from Europe?

[Cone]

A Wells catfish was my guess too. I'd love to hear the story.  Bob

[saltydog]

Very nice catch.

[spottybastard]

I suppose, it has to be asked....

"What did it taste like?"

[floating doc]

Yeah, I want some details too!

[ChileRelleno]

Nice 'Little' Wels cat...  Yeah, I bet that would be perfect eating size for a Wels.
I bet they get a little coarse when they're 10'+ and pushing 12' 

I would love to play tug-a-war with a really big one.

[HOLEINTHEWATER]

THAT IS A NICE FISH.

[Tile]

Nice welsie. Wish I could catch one of these.

[Reinaard van der Vossen]

Yea, nice fish,

However, they used to grow much bigger. The picture below in the link is burned in my memory since I was 8 years old, long before the internet era. My dad had several fishing books and this picture was in one of them.

http://animalvsanimal.blogspot.nl/2012/04/wels-catfish-catfish-that-can-swallow_24.html

In fact, the Ryoby 110 reel and hardy 80 lb rod  which i mention in another topic are purchased by my dad because he was after a catfish monster

We never got the big one. That was over 35 years ago.

In the Ebro river in Spain they now get over 3 meters but they have been introduced in the ebro only since the 1970's It's just waiting until one of them gets over 4 meters

Edit: Erik, the 4 m carried a smilie face. They have yet to be discovered. although there are some old fotosgraphs from very big wels

[erikpowell]

I was raised on the ohio river and remember hearing accounts from divers maintaining Markland dam I think it was, of seeing catfish resembling volkswagon beetles with the hood raised lurking around the locks! Guys were scared out of the water and din't want to go back in.

That and the filthy water ended my waterskiing days on the ohio river! 

[Tile]

The Hardy rod/Ryobi reel combo is an excellent way to make smaller welsies on the Ebro swim backwards and give the larger ones a serious run for their money. Most anglers on the Ebro river are using heavy spinners and spod rods to catch them with great success.

[Reinaard van der Vossen]

Yeah, it is slightly overdone.

Every year the tackle went heavier

I think that my dad must have hooked up to a tree which was suspending at 40-50 feet down below and moving in the current or so. It was where a small river flowed into the lake, hence the current

He was using the pikes that I so proudly caught as a young boy as bait

The local farmers must have laughed their asses off.

The fish in the starting post is already quite an achievement. I don't think my dad had that much luck despite the tackle