????

I still think this fish weighed 150 lbs..LOlolO

well no matter what the real weight is LOLOLOL it still is a nice fish buddy you just need to catch some more.

Now somebody tell me the truth. Is that a bullet hole in that fishs' head????


Jim

you know i doubt that actually IS a bullet hole and the only reason i say that is because i caught 2..............yes 2 ............flatties here in Ohio with those holes in the back of their heads !!

does anyone know if that is caused by some sort of disease or what could actually cause it ???

i would have to bet that that came from battle with other cats during spawn time i believe that was about the time he caught that one.

tcba1987 wrote:

you know i doubt that actually IS a bullet hole and the only reason i say that is because i caught 2..............yes 2 ............flatties here in Ohio with those holes in the back of their heads !!

does anyone know if that is caused by some sort of disease or what could actually cause it ???

Its where they had been spawning..Its battle wounds.

Well, I'd like to see how big that tree is so I could judge it. If John caught it, I'd bet it's a pretty small tree,lol.

graybeard wrote:

Well, I'd like to see how big that tree is so I could judge it. If John caught it, I'd bet it's a pretty small tree,lol.

LMAO, Yep graybeard you fit right in "

thats a nice fish there john

Right at 30lb on that one.

Maybe that hole is from weirdo who tried to spear him from a hole in the ice???????


Jim

well that ice there if there ever wood be any at johns would not hold my heavy arse for a second, but i have seen them while talking to a guy in his fish house on the minnesota river and it looks cool.

I have read in quite a few articles that the scarring on top of the flatties head are from spawning in the small holes, logs and rock crevases. They say they rub themselves raw on the roofs of there little spawning hole and I have seen many pictures of these wounds when the catfish are still on spawn with noodlers

nice looking fish john

yeah i can understand scratches and scrapes but these are holes that look like a bullet hole in their heads !! could be spawning it just looks really strange !!!

I have grown used to seeing strange things while
examining fish.

When I see Arlingtons flathead I get images of the
male fanning an egg cluster.
This guys nest is under some overhanging submerged
timber. One of the branches was broken and had
sharp edges. As the big flathead defends the eggs from bluegills
he hits the sharp point of the branch and pokes a hole. Looks
like he did it several times.

Or these may just be abrasions that got infected and the
bad tissues has washed away leaving holes. Sometimes I can
guess better when I get a personal examination but then
again only the fish could tell if I was right

tcba1987 wrote:

yeah i can understand scratches and scrapes but these are holes that look like a bullet hole in their heads !! could be spawning it just looks really strange !!!

I've caught them after spawn before and they looked like they were hit with Buck Shot.

graybeard wrote:

Well, I'd like to see how big that tree is so I could judge it. If John caught it, I'd bet it's a pretty small tree,lol.

Hey graybeard,I think John cut that tree down and made an Ax handle with it.......

I still think it's from when John and Rusty were together a few months back fishing together.


Jim

john, your fish only weighed in at 5# after the 25# nail was subtracted !!! john, if you dont know what subtraction means, it means taken away

That a great flathead John.

Nice fish John...

surprising what a four inch in diameter tree makes a little cat look so big. lol

Well knowing how successful John is at catching big Catfish, I still think it's a bullet wound.



Jim