Thursday For messages about today's picture, see Cam Notes. This area is for other friendly conversation. Please read our Acceptable Use Policy.

Good morning!

Last Sunday there was some discussion about the size of the fish in the old photo from Gratiot Lake. I received one of those emails which is a forward of a forward, etc., which I usually don't pay much attention to. But the picture attached to this forward definitely caught my attention. I saved the picture, but have somehow lost the original message.

If you have any idea of who took this photo, where it is from, or any information about the people or the fish, please let us know.

Is this really for real? Judging from the dents their hands have made in the sides of the fish, I can't believe that its enhanced. That's why I don't like to swim where I can't see the bottom - no telling what's under there! Have a nice day everyone.

I like the picture of Escanaba. Lonely looking only in winter.

What is that? Looks like a bottom feeder. Supposed to taste good? Well, if one likes to eat mud, I guess.
Bon appetit!

The pic of the big catfish. The story goes as I read about it is that one of the men was fishing at Lake Texoma(border of Texas and Oklahoma)when he caught this cat on 20lb test line. He called his friend to bring a scale. The scale topped out at 100lb so they took the cat to the bait shop and weighed it there. It weighed in at 121 lb. A game warden was there and called the Athens Freshwater Fisheries and asked them if they wanted it. They estimated that at 121 lb. it was 27 yrs old. According to the story he was not dinner but is swimming in one of the tanks for the public to view.

and some folk believe that Bigfoot and Nessie aren't real....

Charli,

This sturgeon was caught by Niagra Falls. He weighed in at over 300 pounds, seven and a half feet long, and was 100 years old. Let me see if I can find the article.

Charlie,

Ooooooooops, my mistake...boy is my face red :)

This is the article about the big fish that I read about earlier this week:

http://www.niagarariveranglers.com/monster_sturgeon.htm

The big fish in the above pic looks like a big channel cat fish to me.

check this out www.okienoodling.com

Where's the Tarter Sauce?

20lb test? That must have taken some time to get in. They are lucky things aren't the other way around. I catfish that size just might have had them for supper.

Where was this caught? I am never, never, never swimming there!

The big catfish reminds me of a story I heard while at Tech in the 70's:

A big laker is coming through the Portage and for some reason the lift bridge doesn't go up. The captain knows he can't stop the boat just by puttin' her in reverse, so he gives orders to toss a couple of anchors overboard. They manage to get the boat stopped before it crangs into the bridge, but the anchors foul on an underwater phone cable. So they send divers down to do the repair work, and after a little while one of them pops back to the surface with eyes as big as Gollum's; sez he got surrounded by a bunch of sturgeon who were bigger than he was.

Can anyone confirm or deny this story?

At the time I heard this story, I also heard how ya fish for sturgeon in the Portage. Get a tractor, a few hundred yards of half-inch line, a grappling hook, a bleach jug, and an old ham. Drive the tractor to a side street that leads to the water. Bait the grapple with the ham, tie on the bleach jug as a bobber, and hammer throw the rig out as far as you can. Tie it off to the tractor and sit back and wait. When the bleach jug disappears, you drive the tractor up the street, then break out the fillet knife.

Again, can anyone confirm or deny?

That's why you shouldn't put a fish on the wall for display. Keep's 'em from growing.
:)

I was not sure where this question would be more appropriate today as the Cam Notes page seems to be discussing travel a slight bit.
We are visiting the Florida Keys in another month and would appreciate any recommendations on things to do or see. While our primary interest is parks, preserves, etc. we will also be visiting towns such as Key West. If you know of something that is a "not to miss" I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks!

Charlie: Don't remember where I read it and seen a picture of that fish but they do have him on display down there and they even have a name for him. If I run across the article I will try to copy it and send it to you. Remember when they caught it. Seems like the guy that caught it also had caught another record fish. I think it was the year before.

That don't look like no sturgeon to me! looks like a big nasty catfish! You could try looking it up on
www.truthorfiction.com

I work at library and we use that and
www.snopes.com
to verify all these "it happened to my cousin's friend" stories.

Anyways I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to get a flicker from pecking at our roof shingles??I'm going to but suet this weekend, we have not had too many large woodpeckers by us this winter but last weekend my husband and I got agreat view of a Piliated outside our west windows. I did'nt realize how big they are!

thanks you bring little UP to my husband everyday and help keep him focused until his next trip up north

K

Here is the link to the catfish story, its on truthorfiction.com a fun website to check rumors

k

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/catfish.htm

I was told when I was a kid that this was a "Mud Sucker" and if I ever caught one, to through it back in, because it ate all the garbage on the lake bottom. :) We never ate this kind of fish.

Poor Escanaba! Even when there is a fairly attractive picture
from the town (it would look nicer if it were warm), what
happens? A pic of a plug-ugly old catfish steals everyone's
attention. I can't even get too excited about a solid review in the
New York Times Book Magazine for a new book by an Esky
author knowing that same author trashed his old hometown
some years ago in a Harper's Magazine article. What a bum. He
found more to like in Uzbekistan than he did in Escanaba. I can
forgive a bum like Jeff Daniels for his trashing Esky in his
moronic play, Esky In Da Moonlight, more than this homegrown
author who should have known better. As for Daniels, he grew
up only 20 miles or so from Adrian, so what does he know about
the U.P.? (Enough, I guess, to find a way to make money off it by
writing a silly caricature of it. )

The good people of Gladstone always found a lot to trash about Escanaba. Did when I was a child and still do.

Escanaba in Da Moonlight was the stupidest movie I have ever seen!!! I didn't make it past the disgusting flatuence scence. I don't know what else I "missed".

Link today!

http://www.albumit.lasipalatsi.fi/suomi/hakulomake.html?language=en

I had to let everyone know the sad news I just heard. Jim Rooks from the Laughing Loon in Copper Harbor passed away. He was transferred from Marquette Michigan to Milwaukee yesterday and passed away today. I don't have many more details, but we have lost a man who loved the UP more than anyone else I know. My husband and I had taken several of his backwoods hikes and trips thru the Copper Harbor area for many years. The UP has truly lost one of its own.

I think if Esky in da Moonlight had been written by someone who actually lived there it could have been improved on. I'm sure Jeff Daniels meant well, and I like him as an actor. Some parts were funny, but a lot of the humor in the movie was a bit too "off color" for me. I realize it's a comedy about hunting and all, but I don't think it depicted everything as well as it might have. But then since I am not a writer, maybe I should not complain since I wouldn't know where to begin to write an entire move script. Anyway, Escanaba is a lovely city and so pleasant to live in regardless of whether the movie was perfect. Ludington Park is such a beautiful place during all seasons of the year, and getting to see pictures of it on pasty.com is a real treat. I'll get off my soapbox now......

It was 87ºF here in Lake County today. Time to take out the water skis Whoopie!!

thanks jAPEi

Was Jim sick? I have been there many times and I think it was Jim that was working around the end of January the last time we were in. What a wonderful man he was, what a sad loss.

Isn't that a terrible sign? Maybe Florida should put out a sign at the state line....go back to Crystal Falls?! This makes me want to visit the area and leave some revenue....NOT!

maybe you don't have a sense of humor. Yoopers are a hardy bunch.

Hardy is hardly the word I would use. I fail to see humor in being nasty.

Don't sweat it, some people just can't see humor in anything these days...

Peace to you...too...

The Crystal Falls sign is a JOKE!

It's funny, if you don't take yourself too seriously & learn to not be so overly sensitive...

Crystal Falls is a very nice place, the people are wonderfully friendly, even to flatlanders like me! They also happen to like to have fun.

Most of the snowbirds I know from the Iron County area laugh at those comments, in the same way I laugh at the people who make jokes and/or comments about us dang flatlanders!

I have somewhere an hour long special on Michigan Where Mr rooks shows how he would dip an old metal cup into Lake Superior most every day to drink from the big lake.I think it was a series on each of the states that was done for turner broadcasting wtbs.