Catfish Dave's Monster 106lb Blue Cat

Near midnight we get a call from my son, on the west coast... 'Did you see that Monster I just posted on facebook?' (of course not, we were getting ready to go to bed, not on facebook)... but he's so excited I have to look.

As I'm starting up my computer, he's telling me his buddy, Catfish Dave (aka David Houseman) just landed a 100+ pound Blue just down the road from me (my son is over 3,000 miles away in Oregon)... and that I should get down there to get some pics & video for Dave.

I get facebook going, as he's talking away about how big this fish is... and relating some of the details (second hand, of course) about the fight... the problems weighing... and the challenges Dave is having. I open the photo, and yep... it's definitely a really big one.

I get Dave's number, call to see what he needs... tape measure, better scales (preferably digital), and some better pictures to document his monster fish tale. So, off we (Carly, my very awesome & understanding fiance' and partner, and I) on a quest to quickly get the gear together for both Dave, and our cameras in pitch black. Yee haw!

After scouring Walmart (the only thing open at the time) for digital scales that go over 100 pounds - none in the fishing department (those only go to 50#'s), none in the luguage department (those top out at 80$'s)... we head to 'home improvement' thinking a big set of digital scales that weigh people would work. Well, on a hard flat concert floor, they do... quickly & wonderfully... but in the great outdoors, on soft & uneven ground, even the contours of the asphalt parking lot or wooden decking, they aren't even consistent or in the ball park (but we didn't know that yet).

Armed with a Canon dSLR, low light lens, external single bulb video light, an external flash, the tape measure, and scales... off to find the secret fishing spot, to memorialize Catfish Dave's big catch.

Some time after about 1:30 am we find it... and sure enough, it's huge! Easily over 100 pounds... still very alive & kicking (well, it would be kicking if it had legs)... so out comes the cameras, and measuring stuff so we can document this monster catch for Dave.

This is the video...

Dave's big game 'spring scales' registered this fish in at 106 pounds. However, when he, his friend, and I tried to 'weigh ourselves' on the scales... they appeared to be weighing a few pounds lite. I'd just weighed myself on three different scales at 265, and Dave's scales claimed I was only a shade over 250. The scales weighed in about 10 pounds light... so we figured that 106#'s could easily be 5 to 10 pounds short (under).

The State Record is 112#'s... so, with the spring scales weighing light, there is a chance this fish could be it. So Dave waited all night, and most of the morning, for a TWVA official to come out to weigh this beast. Sadly, they brought a 'ground scale' and nothing really big enough to fit this monster in, leaving part of the fish off the scales, but still knocking the door on the 100# mark. Disappointed that it didn't top the state record, the fish was released back into the wild... and off to work Catfish Dave went.

Video shot & edited by Terry Mercer

The video shoot was sponsored by VetSupplements.com, the company that enables me to shoot a variety of video projects around East Tennessee.

For some of the still image photography, check out:
http://www.TerryMercer.com

Видео Catfish Dave's Monster 106lb Blue Cat канала Terry Mercer