These amazing photos are from Lake Conroe, some 50 miles north of Houston, USA .
What appeared to be a basketball drifting round the lake, on closer investigation...
It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!
The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface. The guy tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful.
He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish.
You probably wouldn’t have believed this,
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Next summer, it will be legal to plunge into some Missouri rivers and grab catfish by hand — a type of fishing that is not for the faint of heart. Known variously as noodling or hogging, handfishing has long been a misdemeanor punishable by fines, because COLUMBIA, USA, state officials fear it depletes breeding-age catfish. It can also be dangerous:
Noodlers hold their breath for long periods under water and sometimes come up with fistfuls of agitated snakes or snapping turtles instead of fish.
That does not discourage enthusiasts, who insist there is great sportsmanship in fishing with your bare hands.
Joella Bates, an all round blokes blokes sort of woman has this to say about noodling....
As we putted through the no wake zone, I confessed to my gracious hosts, “I have always considered myself quiet brave. After all, I am the first lady to successfully take on Black Death, Africa’s Cape buffalo, with only a bow and arrow. I stared him eyeball to eyeball at a mere 22 yards before launching my arrow frontally into his heart. And, I have taken on mountain lion, alligators, wild boar, bears, 3 Asian Water Buffalos, American bison, and many other species with my bow and arrows. Despite a lifetime of extreme outdoor adventures, the idea of grabblin’ for catfish is very intimidating even for me. But, challenge is my middle name, so I just have to give it a try.”
In the forests of southern
But even a small mistake could prove fatal for the bats, because catfish linger near the surface of the water, and they're hungry, too.
Just when you thought it was safe out of the water... could Eel Catfish get into your bivvy?
An Eel catfish species can hunt on land, according to a report to be published in the journal Nature
Want evidence? Watch this silent video. It shows the following:
1. An eel catfish wriggles out of a tank to eat a small piece of fish placed on a ledge.
2. Shown in slow motion, the fish captures the bait.
3. The catfish, again in slow motion, uses mouth suction to manipulate the bait.
4. Again, the catfish wriggles onto the ledge to manipulate and capture the bait.
