Hartwell - Interesting pics

[Ridgerunner]

Nothing good to report on the crappies, looked all over but nothing but bass willing to bite. I did however run across the two bass in the pics. It looked to me like the 5lber attempted to eat the 3lber and it didn't end well for either. It looked like the had been dead for a couple of days. I have see pics like this before but never seen it in person. It was a nice morning on the Seneca arm of the lake, the water was stained and 56 degrees, it should be getting good soon. Good luck to all.

[Inkdabber]

It looks to me as if someone staged that event. The bigger fishes mouth is opened so wide, it doesn't appear to be a natural feeding position of the mouth. I could certainly be wrong, just my opinion.

[Ridgerunner]

It's very possible, they were starting to get ripe and I wasn't about to get any closer to investigate.

[SeaRay]

We ran across two catfish like that. They were very much alive so we netted them and turned them into stew. It was at Santee right in front of Stumphole Landing. The bigger one was about 10 or 12 lbs. and the smaller about 4 lbs. The smaller one's fins were stuck in the larger ones mouth and neither could do anything except flop around on top, which is how we spotted them. I saw no way that the bigger fish could have ever hoped to swallow the smaller one.

[Inkdabber]

I have witnessed the catfish phenom many times on Santee Ray. I've heard it's a territorial thing where one fish swims into another's lair and gets his face munched on as they do battle. Here's a DNR photo of that exact event as seen when on the Santee Cooper lakes.

We ran across two catfish like that. They were very much alive so we netted them and turned them into stew. It was at Santee right in front of Stumphole Landing. The bigger one was about 10 or 12 lbs. and the smaller about 4 lbs. The smaller one's fins were stuck in the larger ones mouth and neither could do anything except flop around on top, which is how we spotted them. I saw no way that the bigger fish could have ever hoped to swallow the smaller one.

[blackfish]

I've had bass do that with bream in a livewell. Saw a 5 lb. Bass with a 13 inch crappie in its mouth on a Texas fishing show. Wow!