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The catfish was left with a few small scratches.
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"Every catfish leaves its mark," Mark Jennings chuckled, examining fresh scratches from his latest catch. The 16-inch channel catfish was quickly released - standard practice for smaller specimens. But yesterday's expedition told a different story entirely. "When I felt that first tug, I knew I'd found the granddaddy of them all," Jennings recalled. The 4-foot flathead catfish - estimated at 80 pounds - tested every ounce of his skill. "It was like arm-wrestling a freight train," he said, demonstrating the proper stance needed to maintain balance against such force. What made this catch particularly remarkable wasn't just its size, but its age. "Flatheads this large are usually 15-20 years old," explained Dr. Emily Carter, University of Missouri fisheries biologist. "They're living records of our river's health." Jennings' catch was documented, measured, and released unharmed - a practice increasingly adopted by Ozark noodlers to preserve these ancient fish populations.
