<< Dont discount every "tall tale" you here about over sized fish.
Tales
abound of Northern Pike, catfish, and Musky near 6 feet here in the
Wisconsin river. >>
I wasn't discounting the idea of outsized fish, just the idea of any NA
freshwater fishes eating people. I know for instance that the maximum lengths
listed for fishes is merely the maximum average length and that fish are
capable of exceeding this length.Btw, muskies are listed in my Audubohn field
guide and in my Golden Guide book as going up to 7 ft. so it wouldn't be
really outsized, just unusual, being that it would be in the upper limits of
its average max. length and I'm sure that muskies generally run much less.
Northern pike and catfish on the other hand would definitely be outsized at
this length.
<< A team of two men that were veteran
divers were so shooken by the site of a trio of huge catfish they refused
to dive again.
On the same note, I have seen many snapping turtles with shells atleast 3
feet across, and necks and heads nearly as large as 5 gallon pails sticking
out of the water in the swamps here ( snapperes necks swell up with air
when they stick there head out of the water). Audobons feild guide to
reptiles says the common snapper reaches a shell length of 12 or maybe 18
inches ( somthing in that range anyway). these creatures would eat them in
one bite. >>
I would be scared to dive in those waters too with catfish that size! In
between the outsized catfish, bowfins, and snappers I'd say you've got some
pretty crazy stuff in Wisconsin, Ray!
<< Ray from the land of northern gators ( oversized snapping turtles, another
story in itself.. funny!) and trophy bowfin >>
I'd like to hear a story about oversized snapping turtles! They're the one
thing I fear around here as far as wading in the water goes. Don't need my
toes bit off. Of course I'd hope that the snappers would be scared off by
something as big as me, but you never know (I certainly wouldn't operate
under that assumption with the ousized specimens you mentioned though!).
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