Andrew with his fish (Lone Star Outdoor News photo).
I don’t know, man. If I pull this outta the water, I think the first thing I’m touching it with is a net – the handle. Give it a couple sharp whacks on the top of the skull, then take a closer look.
Lone Star Outdoor News had the story, here are the highlights:
> New Braunfels High School sophomore Andrew Cumberland was fishing for sunfish in the Guadalupe River July 12 when he spotted a really ugly fish in shallow water. Thinking it was a carp, he switched to dough bait, which the fish took immediately.
> With the help of Texas fisheries biologists, Cumberland determined that he had landed a suckermouth catfish. The 21-inch fish weighed 3.45 pounds.
> “These fish are the most destructive exotic fish in Texas,†said Dr. Gary Garrett, a fisheries scientist and TPWD’s Director of Watershed Conservation. “They take over important habitats such as springs, push out and replace native species, decimate native vegetation and undermine and destabilize banks. In no way do they have any redeeming qualities.â€
> Cumberland’s catch became the new state rod-and-reel record for the species and garnered him two $5,000 scholarships from the Federation of Student Anglers (FSA), an international student angling organization based in Bulverde, Texas. FSA awards a $5,000 scholarship to any student member who catches a Texas state record of any species. The second scholarship was awarded for catching the Texas record while fishing in an officially sanctioned FSA event, FSA’s Tuesday Night Fishing Series Tournament.
Wow! Way to go Andrew!
6 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
5bites
September 16, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Good for him! That’s definitely in the top three ugliest freakin fish in the states.
Tumblebug
September 16, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Looks like a plecostomus. Available at just about any pet store. They are used in aquariums to clean algae.
Bill M
September 18, 2011 at 8:28 pm
It sure does. Maybe guys can use them to keep their livewells Spic N’ Span.
Chad Keogh
September 16, 2011 at 5:30 pm
If it was anywhere near April, I’d swear this was an April Fool’s joke… THAT is one ugly fish!
Clem
September 18, 2011 at 9:28 pm
That is a plecostomus, and if they’re already that big and being caught then there’s probably a bunch of ’em in the lake. They also are in several of Florida’s lakes.
I don’t believe “suckermouth catfish” is any more of a valid name than calling a paddlefish a “hornbill catfish.” The plecostomus isn’t a catfish.
D Harrison
September 23, 2011 at 12:57 pm
I wonder what it tasted like….