Life and death of a Crappie

I got an interesting message from a friend who owns a local fish market. While cleaning a fresh catch of blue catfish this morning, they found an interesting stomach content item.

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My first question was
1. Was it a flathead catfish? ( He had not told me what it was yet)

2. How big was the fish?

I know flatheads take live fish, many times of a very large size compared to their body size.

His reply was it was an 18 pound blue catfish. That crappie alive would have been almost 12” long.

I know Crappie live a life of constant danger from predators but I would have been hard pressed to believe an 18 pound blue cat could catch and eat a 12” Crappie. I guess the crappie could have been dead when swallowed but that’s still a pretty big pill to swallow.


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I have caught several flathead catfish on hand size live perch/bream hooked throw the back on big set hooks in the river. They swallow them whole and you would be suprised that even a somewhat small 4-5# catfish can swallow a big perch.

They can't keep them in the tank at my local Bass Pro. Blues snack on them like candy.

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I believe it for sure. Blues will eat anything, flatheads are more into live food. I have caught blues with big bass and eating size blues in their belly!

Here ya go

YouTube

Talk about being stuffed! LOL


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I’ll bet he’s lookin for the Rolaids after that!

I keep watching, waiting on that cat to blow

Quote:

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Originally Posted by huntinslabs

Here ya go

YouTube

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That is unreal!!!! Wow!


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Wow!

Buuurrrrrp!

WOW! Will need a shovel to clean the tank.

A bud cleaned a blue a few years ago that had 6 crappie in its stomach...not large ones but a bunch

Never under estimate how big of fish other fish will eat . I have caught big Flatheads that ate 3 lb Channel Cats on my jug lines . We also find big Shad and other fish even Crappie that ate Crappie . Have seen Crappie with big Bream and Yellow Bass hung in their throats floating . They will try to eat anything that will fit and some things that don't !