Gone Fishing: A Fisherman Notices Something Odd Inside A Catfish’s Mouth

It’s an impressive feat for any fisherman to successfully capture a catfish. This particular catfish, though, was unlike any other, and this fisherman would find that out–and much more.

With a loud thud, the enormous animal dropped onto the deck. The little boat swayed and rocked under its weight. 

Eugene Cronley–the main man in this story–is an aficionado fisherman hailing from Brandon, Mississippi. Fishing had always played a part in his life, but after retirement, he got into it more by devoting himself to catching a specific type of fish. 

Catfish aren’t the money-makers of the fishing world. When they are younger and smaller, they cost around three dollars per pound. 

Don’t worry – the main goal of the catfish isn’t to hunt humans. However, due to the variety of catfish species, they have a range of dietary needs.

The name “catfish” refers to the long barbels (feelers) around the mouth which resemble cat whiskers. Catfishes have at least one pair of feelers: on the upper jaw, a pair on the snout, and more pairs on the chin. 

Those cat-like whiskers have another purpose – although they’re located on the mouth, 2,000-4,000 tastebuds on the catfish extend all over the body. Compared to smaller ones, larger catfish can have up to 175,000 taste buds on their whiskers. 

Catfishes comprise nearly 3,000 species placed in around 35 families. Most of the species live in freshwater, although some are marine. Nearly worldwide in distribution, freshwater catfishes live in a multitude of habitats that range from slow or stagnant waters to rapid mountain streams. Marine catfish, on the other hand, reside in the shore waters of the tropics. 

Although they have functioning vision, their impressive number of tastebuds allows the catfish to find its prey, even in the dark. Therefore, the murky and sediment-filled waters that they live in aren’t an obstacle for these animals.

Catfish are very unique creatures and have smooth skin. They have a keen sense of smell which assists them to hunt in muddy waters and possess highly developed sensory abilities. Remarkably, these abilities help them track the trail of their prey and attack them from behind. 

As if the catfish wasn’t already terrifying enough, there’s one variety that can actually walk a short distance if it needs to access a different body of water. Although it doesn’t have legs, it has front fins that can complete the same function.

Egg-laying is how catfish reproduce. Before spawning, the female catfish lay their eggs in nests in rocks, logs, or river beds that are built by the males. Based on their body size, females produce eggs. Sometimes, they can produce anywhere between 3,000 and 50,000 eggs. 

In Florida, a whopping 3,000 channel catfish were released into Lewin Lake at the MacDill Air Force Base. This was done to prevent aquatic vegetation from overgrowing and to balance the ecosystem further, but certainly must have been a sight to behold.

Catfish are widely regarded as one of the most challenging fish to capture. Enormous, heavy, fierce, and prone to aggression when threatened–all contribute to the dangers of trying to catch one.

Catfish are a peculiar and sometimes dangerous breed of fish. With prickly spines and stingers set on their fins, both on top and on the underside of their bodies, it’s no wonder that one has to be careful when dealing with catfish. 

Trying to dominate this ferocious beast can be a danger for those who try it. Aside from its already terrifying poison, the catfish has other traits that make it a deadly fish to try and catch.

According to an article from 2000 in the London Daily Express newspaper, a gigantic catfish pulled an Austrian fisher into a lake, ultimately killing him.  The man was named Anto Schwarz.

Setting out to catch a catfish is not a one-person job. With no one to help in case of an enormous catch, the fisherman is at considerable risk of getting dragged down. Sometimes, there is even a possibility of drowning. 

Although many people like Eugene catch catfish on a boat using bait, noodling is when you’re brave enough to catch a catfish with your bare hands or feet. Although this can be dangerous, many noodlers often work in pairs to minimize risk.

Eugene never had a problem catching catfish. He knew the waters of the Mississippi like the back of his hand. He could go around it blindfolded and still know exactly where he was. And even though there were wild alligators and huge turtles around, he was never afraid.

Eugene spent a long time waiting for the catfish that would test his fishing abilities. He had already been calmly cruising around the Mississippi river in his little boat for two hours and counting.

After hours of waiting, he felt that a large fish had taken the bait. His entire boat shook. With the way the boat was moving, it looked to be a strong and heavy fish.

As terrifying as noodling sounds, some people are downright obsessed by it. A man named Don Brewer caught a 60.6-pound flathead catfish, beating competitors and winning the “Big Fish’ award at the 2006 Okie Noodling Championship.

Besides Eugene’s hook, there was something else inside the catfish’s mouth, though he could not identify what it was since the fish itself was still alive, keeping its mouth half-closed.

Surprisingly, the catfish had an entire alligator foot in its mouth–with the claws and everything, too! The foot’s wound looked fresh, and Eugene concluded it had recently been ripped off.

It didn’t seem very likely that a catfish could do that, but who knows? Eugene had never seen such a big, strong catfish in his life. He had almost been dragged down into the water by it himself. 

The catfish weighed almost 60 kilograms, or 131 pounds, to be exact. It reached a whopping 16.6 inches in length and 41 inches in circumference, or 1.4 and 1.04 meters, respectively. All these measurements proved that Eugene had set the world record for catching the biggest catfish ever!

A mysterious breed known as the Mekong Giant Catfish wins the award of largest catfish species. Native to the Mekong River in Thailand, they weigh hundreds of pounds, and the largest one clocked in at 646 pounds. For perspective, that’s as much as some medium dolphins weigh.

Following his fantastic catch was an interview with the media. Cronley explained, “We had to untie the boat and float down the river.”

Eugene wasn’t finished showing off just yet. After going back to the dock, other fishermen noticed his huge haul. Everyone praised him for the catch. He placed the catfish in a cooler box before loading it onto his truck.

After getting home with his prized catch, Eugene Cronley was just beginning his celebrations. After all, it wasn’t every day that he set a new world record. He gutted the fish carefully and put it in his refrigerator. He was eager to continue celebrating by cooking it the next day.

Eugene started the next day like he usually would. A cup of coffee and some quiet time seemed perfect. But not even ten minutes later, someone knocked on his door.

Eugene opened his front door to a man in uniform, just standing there. He wasn’t a cop, but something about him shouted authority. With a confused expression, Eugene asked, “Can I help you?”

He informed Eugene he was a representative of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation, whose job is to protect and conserve nature against any threat–including poaching. “You were out fishing yesterday, weren’t you?” he asked. 

“There was a possible incident yesterday on the waters of the Mississippi.” The man had talked to some fishermen, and they had a lot to say about Eugene bragging about his impressive catch. “We just wanna make sure you didn’t do anything illegal,” the man remarked.

Eugene’s heart rate was starting to go up. He knew this was no random visit, and these were not random questions. Eugene had the impression that the man was persuading him to admit to something he hadn’t done.

After that worrying line of questioning, the man introduced himself–Hank Arlington. Closely working with the Mississippi Wildlife Foundation, he was passionate about any and all animals. He never wished harm to any of the wildlife in the area because he cared for them so much.

Eugene’s mind was now racing with endless thoughts. As Arlington explained what was happening, Eugene just stood there. He reflected on his actions the day before–from going out onto the river to going home with his world-record catch.

Arlington continued, “Sir, what were you doing yesterday when you went out to the lake? Did you catch anything?”

Eugene paused for a moment before spilling everything. He shared how much he enjoyed going out on the water as a fisherman, always trying to find the best catch.

With an indecipherable look on his face, Arlington asked, “What catfish?”

The catfish didn’t even seem to interest Arlington remotely. He explained that the potential poaching situation he was looking into had nothing to do with any catfish.

Arlington explained further that an alligator was found in the lake that appeared to have had his foot chopped off. The alligator was safe now in their custody, but he wanted to make sure that the harm done to him wasn’t intentional.

Arlington listened closely to Eugene’s explanation. Then, with a nod that showed his satisfaction with the description, he thanked Eugene for his complete honesty. After that, he made his way to his car and drove off.

Maybe you’d be surprised, but finding an alligator’s foot inside a catfish’s mouth is definitely not the weirdest thing they’ve gulped down. Catfish are known to consume almost anything underwater and people have stories to share about their wild experiences, as well as the bizarre finds. 

An Arkansas catfish angler, James Price, accidentally dropped his dentures into Bull Shoals Lake while he was fishing. He never thought he’d see his chompers again, but 10 days later, he caught a 20-pound Bull Shoals catfish that had swallowed one of his dental plates. This crazy find was put into a 1951 Ripley’s Believe It or Not column.

The next weird account dates all the way back to 1847 in a Scientific American report. At a Cincinnati market, a catfish was purchased, and inside its stomach was a silver thimble, a gold ring, and a counterfeit dime. They were all tied up in a rag.

Catfish have been alleged to eat humans. The gigantic Goonch catfish of India has been recorded feeding on human remains from funeral pyres and was even blamed for the deaths of several human swimmers. Thus, it’s believed this is how these catfish developed a taste for flesh. 

More fishers who have caught catfish continue to find odd contents in their stomachs. One user on the CatFish1 online forum shared that they found sticks, small rocks, french fries, a type of animal fur, and cigarette butts. 

Many might not know that catfish commonly eat other catfish. They have no regard for their kind and don’t mind cannibalizing. Therefore, it’s fairly surprising that a creature perceived as innocent is capable of such cruelty. 

There are obviously other animals that eat catfish, just like snakes. In this story, a Houston man reeled in a Channel Catfish that was halfway through being eaten by a snake. Can you even imagine that? 

It’s not a total rarity for anglers to have a friend of a friend whose uncle once caught a wild mutant fish. Most of the time, it’s just a tall tale passed down from fishermen through generations.  But, once in a while, anglers will stumble across catches that are once-in-a-lifetime. 

While deep-water fishing, you probably only think that you’re safe on the surface. Wrong! Fishing the top water is actually scarier. Yeah, this fish flew out of the water onto an angler’s boat. 

Though it’s not directly related to the alligator foot in this catfish’s mouth, many farm-raised catfish are injected with alligator DNA. This makes the catfish more resistant to disease, so you don’t have to worry about some monstrous alligator catfish hybrid taking over the world. 

The sheer thought of some gigantic sea monster waiting for you below the ocean’s depths will surely scare the pants off you. So, when an enormous eyeball finds its way onto land, you’re probably left wondering how exactly this happened!

While we’ve mainly discussed the things that catfish end up eating and other insane things discovered while fishing, discovering an actual grenade is a whole other story. Indiana is where a live grenade was fished out of a local river.