Catfish_Charlie
New member
Resource list of locations of certified scales and where to find the line class records?
Something happened this weekend that got me pumped to go after world records or line records. I was fishing this pass weekend. I was fishing for some bluegills to use for bait that same night for catfishing. I was fishing from a bridge 15 ft down to the water. I was using a new light combo rig that came with 2 pound test line. I put a very small more than 25 years old gold salmon egg hook on the line that measures just a tad over 1/4 inch.
Catfishing has picked up a lot over the last 2 weeks due to fish coming off the bed. I was planning to have a good night. I wanted 20 or so bluegills and had found a spot that was producing some good 5 to 7 inch bluegills. I always throw back anything bigger than 5 inches if I am catching bait. Using a foam float it was sinking after 1 or 2 minutes every time I tossed it out.
On this one cast I caught a good bluegill but it left half of my red-wiggler on the hook so I tossed it back out. The very second it hit the water the float went straight down. I went to pull it up but this time it pulled back. Confused I knew I didn't have a bluegill so I lightened up on my pull and loosened the drag some. I just played the fish to tire it out some. Long story short when it topped the water 10 minutes later I saw it was a good size blue cat. There was no path down the side of the bridge to the water so I gave it slack line and let it run some while I holding the rod battled through a very thick run of bushes and thickets to get down to the waters edge and I had also given it even more line on my fight down. But once I got down to the water I started reeling it back in still in disbelief that I had this blue on a salmon egg hook with half a red wiggler on 2 pound test. With all the tail splashing people had gathered to cheer me on as I fought it back over to the bank.
I landed it and fought my way back up to the road. Everyone was cheering as I headed over to my truck to weigh this thing. My really old hand scale showed it was 21.6 pounds. The though hit me could this be a record for 2 pound test? Do they even have a 2 pound test line class? Where is a registered scale? I only had a 5 gallon bucket so I filled it water and took names of people who were watching and I called TWRA to ask questions. None of my questions could the woman on the phone answer so she said she would send a ranger out. He never showed in the 40 minutes I waited. I took off and found a couple places with a scale but one said no and the other let me weight the fish. It weighed in at 22.2 pounds on that scale. But he couldn't tell me where a registered scale was. I made another call to TWRA and the woman again said she would resend a ranger. About 15 minutes later this kid pulls up and I am explaining it to him which he seemed disinterested in what I was telling him and told me he had no idea what I meant about a registered scale. I sent him on his way. The fish was very sluggish at this point and I knew it was going to die soon. So I released it back with no answers to any of my questions.
All of the above to get to my question. lol
My question is where would I look online to see what the current line class records are? Is there any resource that I could get a list of locations of certified scales?
IF there is a line class for blue cats then this fish had a shot. I covered everything except a certified scale to weigh it on.
Any help would be appreciated greatly.
Something happened this weekend that got me pumped to go after world records or line records. I was fishing this pass weekend. I was fishing for some bluegills to use for bait that same night for catfishing. I was fishing from a bridge 15 ft down to the water. I was using a new light combo rig that came with 2 pound test line. I put a very small more than 25 years old gold salmon egg hook on the line that measures just a tad over 1/4 inch.
Catfishing has picked up a lot over the last 2 weeks due to fish coming off the bed. I was planning to have a good night. I wanted 20 or so bluegills and had found a spot that was producing some good 5 to 7 inch bluegills. I always throw back anything bigger than 5 inches if I am catching bait. Using a foam float it was sinking after 1 or 2 minutes every time I tossed it out.
On this one cast I caught a good bluegill but it left half of my red-wiggler on the hook so I tossed it back out. The very second it hit the water the float went straight down. I went to pull it up but this time it pulled back. Confused I knew I didn't have a bluegill so I lightened up on my pull and loosened the drag some. I just played the fish to tire it out some. Long story short when it topped the water 10 minutes later I saw it was a good size blue cat. There was no path down the side of the bridge to the water so I gave it slack line and let it run some while I holding the rod battled through a very thick run of bushes and thickets to get down to the waters edge and I had also given it even more line on my fight down. But once I got down to the water I started reeling it back in still in disbelief that I had this blue on a salmon egg hook with half a red wiggler on 2 pound test. With all the tail splashing people had gathered to cheer me on as I fought it back over to the bank.
I landed it and fought my way back up to the road. Everyone was cheering as I headed over to my truck to weigh this thing. My really old hand scale showed it was 21.6 pounds. The though hit me could this be a record for 2 pound test? Do they even have a 2 pound test line class? Where is a registered scale? I only had a 5 gallon bucket so I filled it water and took names of people who were watching and I called TWRA to ask questions. None of my questions could the woman on the phone answer so she said she would send a ranger out. He never showed in the 40 minutes I waited. I took off and found a couple places with a scale but one said no and the other let me weight the fish. It weighed in at 22.2 pounds on that scale. But he couldn't tell me where a registered scale was. I made another call to TWRA and the woman again said she would resend a ranger. About 15 minutes later this kid pulls up and I am explaining it to him which he seemed disinterested in what I was telling him and told me he had no idea what I meant about a registered scale. I sent him on his way. The fish was very sluggish at this point and I knew it was going to die soon. So I released it back with no answers to any of my questions.
All of the above to get to my question. lol
My question is where would I look online to see what the current line class records are? Is there any resource that I could get a list of locations of certified scales?
IF there is a line class for blue cats then this fish had a shot. I covered everything except a certified scale to weigh it on.
Any help would be appreciated greatly.