An Investigation Into Lewis & Clark's Claims of World-Record Catfish | With Spencer Neuharth

[@wdaniel9]

Im betting on the 100 lb cat, they were coming out of the Stone Age, little to no fishing pressure, dead buffalo in the river. Yeah its possible. Lewis and Clark encountered a squirrel migration with millions of squirrels swimming across the river. Things were different, way different.

[@FinznFowl82]

I agree, I think they probably caught some big blues. Very well could have had some close to 100 lbs, maybe even more. Like you said, wasn't nearly as much pressure and the gear was different. Animals had the opportunity to live longer and eat more.

[@tylerluck378]

Considering that a hundred pounder got pulled out of the river just last year, its pretty funny how this guy could be skeptical.

[@wdaniel9]

@@tylerluck378 Thanks, didn’t seem that far fetched to me from the get go. I bet The really ancient ones don’t get caught at all .

[@tylerluck378]

@@wdaniel9 Ya most of the time the Meat Eater series is great and pretty informative. This is the first one I couldn't even watch all the way through. The guy kept saying how could somebody could catch a world record fish and not make a bigger deal about it like they had the type of records on fish sizes back in the day like we do now. Lol pretty lame.

[@wdaniel9]

@@tylerluck378 I just saw new N Carolina record blue cat at over 100 lbs. Do you think this guy didn’t do any research? I’m trying to get a big horn ewe tag for that Missouri breaks region not only to hunt it but maybe catch a couple big cats!

[@jamesburke8681]

We need a Lewis and Clark series!

[@harvestblades]

Hell yeah we do! That would make an amazing season of meateater!

[@wendoveruncensored3216]

I can see it being a Bear Grease podcast series. With lots of foreshadowing

[@doeyjiaz4798]

@@wendoveruncensored3216 and a black panther story

[@wendoveruncensored3216]

@doey jiaz they exist

[@StayRadDontDie11B]

Here here!!!

[@N2theBlue1]

Blues and flatheads, native to the Missouri, regularly reach over 100 pounds so it doesn't seem remotely surprising to me or even something to be skeptical about back in that era? The misidentification seems unlikely as well since the explorers would have been very familiar with catfish from back east, though smaller versions. Unlike the western mammals which they had no corollary for in the eastern us. Anddd the biologist at the end just agreed with me lol. I think Spencer just wanted Meateater to pay for him to go fishing for paddlefish lol. That's good hustle.

[@bainez731]

Lewis and Clark were exploring 220ish years ago, before commercialization, over fishing, pollution, etc. Those fish had been unpressured for millions of years with only Native populations fishing them. We know for a fact that other species of wildlife have shrank over those 220 years from outside influences. I don't doubt for a second that back in 1803 there were far greater numbers of large fish in the MO river. Also who in their right mind would ever confuse a paddlefish for a damn catfish lmao, go on somewhere with that crap lol.

[@shanemcbride28]

I was thinking the same thing. Back then, housecats must've had long beaks that looked like paddles, no whiskers. Thats why they called them paddlefish catfish..?.. thats gotta be it.

[@210FMcometh]

An excellent logical reply to this sham of a video.

[@drewsroo]

As if guys who grew up in the "east" surrounded by catfish infested rivers didn't know what a darn catfish was...lol.

[@joeruhe8030]

Exactly. Wtf was this guy banging on about the whole time? Even the fish biologist wasn't having it.

[@religionispoison6838]

Humans just don't want to admit how much we have wreaked havoc on populations of animals. Especially fishermen and hunters, and i am both.

[@clintcannon1902]

Grandparents lived in Yankton, have fished both sides of the dam many times. Spencer, when you first mentioned working at the hatchery on the podcast, I was excited. I've been a visitor a dozen times in the past forty years. Fun stuff, thank you all!

[@jamesmainelli8277]

To be honest this episode was summed up very well in the last 4 minutes and didn’t need the rest… I think that Spencer just wanted to go paddle fishing and thought “how can I write this off as a work trip” haha

[@chevyon37s]

Leave it to rock boy

[@MjCecil87]

I agree 100%, there is a night and day difference between a paddle fish and a cat fish, and I would say when you didn't have so many people fishing for them it would have been easier to catch a monster.

[@bhoutdoors507]

Yeah this could have just been a paddlefish episode, would’ve been better without the historical “controversy”

[@rabbithomesteading3797]

lol agreed! :D

[@outdoorsmanal1759]

The untamed wilderness that the expedition got to be a part of would have been spectacular. Amazing how they kept such detailed records on top of everything else they were up against.

[@tylerchamberlain2980]

another impressive thing is they only lost one crew member and it was to appendicitis!

[@chevyon37s]

I mean the whole point of the trip was to record what they saw...

[@christianleblanc881]

@@tylerchamberlain2980 god that would suck I have liver issues and I think if I was alive back then I'd definitely be dead by now and what an agonizing death it would be. At least they had opium to give him for pain.

[@lewismooney3941]

I’m not sure how this show happened? There’s no way the expedition would have made that mistake without documentation. Especially considering they had no idea paddles were there or how to target them if they wanted to.

[@drewsroo]

Its just for content and views.

[@brucearchambault6774]

My question was - were they snagging? If not, they caught cats!

[@dragonsnatch1146]

100%

[@RiverJunkie]

There is absolutely no way they would have caught a paddle fish and thought is was a catfish. The paddle fish is so unique they would have realized it wasn’t like anything they had seen before.

[@christopherrowley7506]

Yeah I think it was just a gimmick to try to spice up a fishing episode. Still I enjoyed the fishing and the history

[@RiverJunkie]

@@christopherrowley7506 me too! Lol

[@Oxxg]

There’s pallid sturgeon in there too and those have small barbels that’s could have been confused for whiskers

[@wyattmull9436]

They might have seen paddlefish before and knew what they were. As paddlefish were discovered in 1797 by a biologist. Not to mention this would be before a lot of the extinction events we did eventually cause for paddlefish in certain states probably hadn’t occured yet.

[@AndrewGrey22]

Lewis would have drew a picture of it had they caught a paddlefish.

[@davewilson2641]

This feels like a middle school science project where you realize your results aren’t what you thought they would be but you power through anyways because the sunk cost is too high. Seems pretty clear right off the bat that a catfish, pre-colonial settlement of the west, would get that big and not need to be a paddlefish.

[@michag4337]

I think personally it's a combination of unsophisticated tools (inaccurate weights and measures), a fisherman's tale (we all know how fishermen can be less than reliable witnesses) and the fact that prior to over fishing and habitat destruction the fish were probably larger on average.

[@bhoutdoors507]

Not to mention the difference in how to catch catfish vs paddlefish. This whole controversy seems a bit… fishy

[@mc1992hammer]

Great work on this! Question though.. Why were you releasing the Silver Carp? Those are kill on sight in Missouri. I can't imagine other states want them released alive either.

[@AquatankAqua]

That confused me too.

[@MrBerroth]

Me too. They're an invasive species

[@AOIbis]

Glad I wasn’t the only one asking that.

[@michaelmclaughlin3986]

First ever comment on KZbin but I had to ask the same about the carp

[@AOIbis]

@@michaelmclaughlin3986 From what I remember reading in the SD fish and game, You cant have those fish in your possession, so keeping them in the boat would be a fishing violation. I think that was the reason, it was something along those lines.

[@devinpenfold2274]

Let's go. This is gonna be super interesting. Meateater never disappoints. I will never stop fighting for Das Boat Canada/Ontario though

[@acolock]

Das canoe

[@jeremyxman]

I think that would be a great show

[@daddycox82]

Omg Das Ontario I'm in

[@andrejslv4192]

Canada already has enough fishing content haha

[@aarongouin4628]

We sure do have some world class fishing being surrounded by all this fresh water

[@j.t.patton7820]

Great story! The Journals of Lewis and Clark are a must read. I have to say, Cats are more likely the fish they'd catch considering the way they fished would target Cats. You'd have to have previously learned knowledge in order to know how to fish for Paddles. Smoked Paddle-fish is phenomenal.

[@ca9968]

Bass Lake in Johannesburg, right near the Vaal Dam Wall is well known for "Barbel" (An African species of Catfish) well over 100 Pounds...I did my dive qualifications there and saw at least 3 that were longer and heavier than me...so Catfish there back then when no people were around doesn`t seem all that impossible...

[@harvestblades]

Yeah, they are in there. I live on this stretch of river, the stories from family, as well as fish I have seen, as well as from rescue divers I knew leaves no doubt that there are some reclusive #100 plus cats sitting in their holes.

[@bigbassjonz]

When were the Barbel introduced?

[@ca9968]

@@bigbassjonz Barbel are native to South Africa...they`ve always been there...

[@bigbassjonz]

@@ca9968 then why we talking about those if they're only in South Africa? I thought you said they were bright to the US. Keep those monsters in South Africa please.

[@ca9968]

@@bigbassjonz I meant that there are catfish that big in South Africa in an area and lake that is often used by people, so it didn`t surprise me that back in the past there would be catfish in a US river that was pretty much undisturbed by humans up to that point... Barbel in SA do get monstrous though, when the best way to catch a fish with a rod and reel is to bait it with half an uncooked chicken, you know you have a River Monster or two lurking about...

[@detroitredneckdetroitredne6674]

Thank you for taking us on your adventure

[@harvestblades]

Paddlefish is an amazing fish to see in the water, & to eat. I have many fond memories of fishing/bowfishing in that same spillway & love bein out there at night as you see the paddlefish rolling at the surface. There have been times when it would give me chills. Nothing like a summer night on the Missouri.

[@nickgamble4544]

An almost untouched land at the time I would expect things to possibly be much bigger and more abundant.

[@garybesaw3809]

I love this channel and support it completely and also support you questioning reports/history. My personal opinion is that there is no way they got a paddle fish and a catfish confused as the same species,for all the great things they found and accomplished I just don’t see them confusing a catfish with anything else.

[@Chanski7]

The catfish that they zoomed in while speaking about blue catfish was a channel. A few minutes later, they zoomed in on a blue catfish. Paddlefish are filter feeders requiring them to be snagged and not caught. Most likely, Lewis & Clark crew was fishing with bait. The Missouri River was a different system prior to dams being built; a lot more nutrient inputs, habitats, and a more productive system. Catfish, in general, were not subjected to commercial harvest or anthropogenic impacts and were able to grow to larger lengths prior to the Missouri River having dams constructed. Anyways, I'm glad that Spencer's opinion was swayed, but with Specer having a fisheries background, I was surprised at his skepticism. L&C crew wasn't throwing out treble hooks and snagging fish they caught. Neat video, regardless!

[@keithkempenich6401]

As a historian myself, I feel like there is an avenue that went totally unexplored here: HOW the men on the Lewis and Clark expedition fished. While there may not be any details in the accounts themselves, contemporary records could suggest the likely methods, tackle and bait the men may have used, thereby shedding light on which fish they might have caught. I don't know if the reason for the snagging approach to paddlefish has more to do with it being a less physically harmful means of catching them or because getting them to attack bait is the challenge, but it strikes me that if such a method is how you catch one, that alone would rule heavily against paddlefish being the "catfish" in the historical account. Later documents about fish sizes, populations, and other factors prior to the development of the area would similarly reveal the probabilities. A fun episode to be sure, but if you wanted a show about catching paddlefish, I would have just led with that instead of trying to make a historical argument and then evaluate it by utterly ahistorical evidence and means. But I'll take my historian hat off and put my fishing hat on and say that they look like a hell of a lot of fun to catch regardless!

[@keithl2110]

Paddlefish can only be snagged as they are zooplankton feeders.

[@packerjh2]

Paddledish with never "attack" a bait...they r filterfeeders. If/when u hook one in the mouth it's purely incidental due to how they feed/swim

[@keithkempenich6401]

@@packerjh2 This makes the case against the expedition hauling in 5 trophy paddlers even stronger, I'd think.

[@ErelasInglor]

I would love to see this episode in context of Lewis & Clark's expedition coming across Prairie Chicken!

[@siegehammer63]

I'm trying to remember if they hit into sage grouse as well. A bucket lister for me for sure, I hunt their sharptailed cousins

[@bidenhasdementia8657]

A paddlefish is going to be too distinctive to confuse with a catfish. If they caught paddlefish the first descriptor would be the paddle. It's far more likely they caught big catfish and exaggerated the size.

[@Bubba015]

They have catfish all over the world, all over the east coast of America, they almost certainly were familiar with the fish… I find it extremely unlikely that Lewis and Clark or almost anyone else in their party would confuse paddlefish and catfish. But the title got me and I made it almost 7 min into the video before I realized I’d been clickbaited into watching…

[@joshplass2494]

That's it!! All things MeatEater rock. Educational, fun.. Just all around 'genious'.

[@WoodsNorth]

I sometimes see old turn-of-the-century newspaper articles of the local deer harvest here in Vermont. While I can admire the mindset of the men who would venture out into the woods and the writers who would tell the tale, I often find the reported weight of the deer to be impossible to believe with numbers occasionally going north of 400lbs. I love a good hunting or fishing tale but any size or score of an animal before the advent of quality photography or use of a scale is hard to take with more than a grain of salt.

[@chevyon37s]

Once something gets over 40-50lbs people tend to exaggerate weights quite a bit

[@therockbiter8140]

@Myles Garrett the record was set in 2021 at 141lbs, with a hundred years worth of anglers going after them. You don't think they got even bigger before people had the technology and motivation to go after them? New records are set every year or two with millions of people going after them. Imagine how big they could have been when nobody was trying to catch them. There's tons of old pictures of gar fish that are longer than the boats that hauled them in that would absolutely be records of people had scales to weigh them, same with catfish.

[@missourimongoose8858]

There was an Eastern elk that was bigger than its western cousin but went extinct after white people moved west

[@missourimongoose8858]

@@therockbiter8140 that's what I think and this dude only showed the blue cat which is the smallest of all catfish, Lewis and Clark obviously saw them catching flathead cats which can easily get over 100 lbs

[@jbolin105]

@@missourimongoose8858 Blue cats are the largest species of catfish in North America the World record is 143 lbs caught at Kerr Lake in Virginia.

[@gtaylor9218]

Great job, Spencer! The timing of this is great, for me . I'm right in the midst of reading about lewis and Clark , and mountain men in the years following

[@brycewatt2893]

This is a great episode Spencer and crew! What an opportunity to travel back in time and get just a little glimpse of how it was. Catfish or Paddle fish? Either way I can feel the energy of their excitement.

[@anthonykoulis5498]

Spencer did a killer job with this episode! 10/10 would love to see him on here again.

[@therockbiter8140]

There've been many world record blue cats caught that were over a hundred pounds, I know Keith day who caught the state record 110.3lb catfish in St. Francisville, La. back in 2010 out of the mississippi river. Today the record is held by some kid at like 141lbs and it was a catfish. There are tons of huge paddlefish out there, that can probably get just as big, but the world record paddlefish isn't the record catfish at the end of the day, even if they are called spoonbill catfish. If catfish are getting as big as they are now with as many fisherman hunting them today, I can only imagine how big they must have been when they faced their first real threats from humans back in the day, I Imagine it wasn't much different than the pictures I've seen of 10/12" long gar being hoisted out of the waters.

[@ADVENTURESOFBZ]

This....this right here is why Meateater is on another level!!! Fantastic episode!!!

[@macmyers8143]

It is very hard to believe that if they had caught something as unusual, indeed bizarre, looking as a paddlefish they would not have remarked on it. Also, given that paddlefish are filter feeders, it seems unlikely they would have caught several of them fishing in a conventional manner. And, as others have remarked, the fauna of the great plains was extraordinarily different in the early 1800s.

[@hawaii5-084]

I came to comment the same thing you would notice the huge paddle at the front and at least explain it as a weird looking catfish also there were no dam’s and not a lot of fishing going on so could easily have been more old catfish swimming around.

[@joshuaharrison6708]

Ditto. Pre dam one has to imagine catfish were much larger in those murky waters.

[@austinh9389]

the blue catfish in america still grow well over 100 lbs. dont know what this guy is debating lol. 131 lb catfish caught in mississippi april 7 2022

[@Reneelwaring]

At the time of Lewis and Clark's expedition they had Sycamore trees that were so big that 14 men could sit at a table inside the trunk and have lunch. Those trees no longer exist, but that doesn't mean they never did.

[@andrejslv4192]

I didn't even know these fish existed in N.A till about a year ago. Been wanting to after them ever since. Got excited for this one. I did not know you target them via snag tho! Makes me think of Steve being apprehensive about poisoning fish in a puddle in the jungle.

[@TJ-bg4fw]

It's nearly impossible to catch them any other way as they are filter feeders, so unless you get super lucky or manage to make of of the gentlest freshwater fish angry and get one to swipe as something I don't know any other efficient legal method of take. If you're set on paddlefish Oklahoma would be your ticket as non residents don't have stupid restrictions like a lottery or where they can fish

[@mtcoiner7994]

Perhaps they were catching sturgeon? I don't think they commonly reach the 100lb mark in Montana/ND but maybe they used to? And old rancher in the Missouri breaks claimed they used to catch catfish so big they needed a tractor to tow them out. Probably BS but......maybe not.

[@mikes6884]

I agree a sturgeon would also reach huge sizes and might be mistaken because pallid sturgeon have whiskers. Without dams who knows how far those fish travel to breed. Spencer better do more research and tell Steve he wants to go catch a sturgeon to verify... haha

[@harvestblades]

If I recall they would of been familiar with sturgeon, but yes they can get massive if given time, and there are three species in that section of river, but I think the monsters they documented were clearly cats. I just feel bad they were eating old, muddy fat cats as the flesh quality is poor compared to a nice #10 cat. Sure monsters are fun to catch, & more efficient for stocking the larder for a trip like this, but in my experience it is easier to catch numbers of #5-20 cats then it easy #50 plus. Again 200 years ago itr was likely different.

[@malcolmalexander5484]

Clay and Spencer have been killing it with the content!!! Keep it up.

[@erici2466]

Keep up with the great content!

[@JarrydMitchell]

A 100lb catfish is an absolute monster, but not a record breaker…a 130lb blue was caught out of the Missouri River in 2010 and I believe the world record is 144lbs ( not out of the Missouri). There’s no doubt in my mind that fish 100lbs plus not only existed but thrived in the Missouri River in the 1800s especially with the lack of dams and commercial fishing pressure. Did Lewis and Clark see 5 100lb blue cats? 🤷‍♂️ only god knows.

[@codybutler7816]

I’m not sure how or where you get the ideas for content but I believe you’re On The right path. Always something different but yet something the same. Truly loved duck camp dinners, pardon my plate, and das boat. The Canadian angle was a nice northern addition I could relate with as I’m from Canada but this episode is similar to Jeremy wades river monsters in a sense where your tracking down historical accounts. Some how you’re just hittin all the points and I truly enjoy it

[@ronniekotler9265]

I just have to agree, the Paddle fish is such a unique looking species that Lewis and Clark would have noted it in their journal and not called them Catfish

[@rslover65]

I don't think there was any real doubt that the Lewis and Clark expedition confused catfish with paddlefish, but it's a great excuse to go fishing and film it.

[@bustinbass78]

I love this... although told many times. The tale of the extinction and rebirth of the whitetail would be good filmed and edited like this.

[@skypieper]

History and fishing combined! Awesome.

[@LaughingCattFishing]

In the time of Lewis & Clark there was no thought given to world record fish size. Fish were just seen as a food source so it is entirely possible that 5 or more 100 pound catfish were caught.

[@brianbradley7282]

We need a Steve and crew Lewis and Clark Expedition

[@danguard8543]

This episode was amazing I hope this is a series that gets more attention between this and pardon my plate I have a whole newfound love of Spencer as a host, he's got a great voice for narration too!

[@charlockprime]

Spencer was right up the road and didn't even stop in for a beer. Somebody's gone all Hollywood.. :D

[@gregorygolando]

Nice documentary, lots of good stuff in there. I reckon they would have mentioned the giant snoz on the fish though if they had pulled in a 100 paddlefish

[@stevenalvarez487]

Reminds me of fishing with my dad he misidentifies half of the fish and argues with me on how he’s right.

[@Iowawalrus]

Dude you've got some interesting info. Keep this coming

[@streetwork5069]

Great video..ya mentioned a name Ordway..early on,I met an Ordway many years ago,the grandson..name Walter who’s story is very fascinating to learn about,which I had no idea at the time we hung out..

[@scottcarlson8502]

Great episode Spencer and crew!

[@macshatchetman13]

If it was misidentified, how about a sturgeon? They have similar skin, baubles, and they get absolutely enormous.

[@ronaldcourville6472]

From Louisiana here. My personal best is 93 lb bluecat

[@sonnyechols5140]

World record for blues right now is 143 sooo not that unimaginable that they were catching blues

[@drewsroo]

This is...kind of ridiculous and a rewrite of history, kind of par for the course these days. Records didn't exist back then and meant nothing to anyone. C'mon. You really think these guys who grew up in "the east" didn't know what a catfish was when they had been catching or netting them since they were kids? Lewis and Clark weren't the only guys who talked about 5 to 6 foot long cats. You can find stories of them all over including in Mark Twain books. No dams, unspoiled wilderness, no predators of a fish that size. No pollution. Nothing to prevent a cat from reaching ridiculous size, age and weight. Guys are catching blues now well over 100 pounds since catch and release became a thing. 100 pounds shouldn't raise an eyebrow.

[@papabones-G48]

I have personally picked up a paddle fish that someone else caught back in the 1970s in Missouri, I was 6'3" then, I'm 6'1" now, and the fish was longer than I was tall! Also back in the 1950s my dad use to hand-fish catfish and flathead, in Kansas, Saline River, that were as long as he was tall, and he was 5'9", they used to rub their bellies up to the bank then roll them onto the bank! 'KEEP ON KEEPIN ON'!

[@StayRadDontDie11B]

I couldn't take this seriously once I realized what a paddle fish was..... no way I love this series and it was a super rad idea. I was pumped to watch it . Lol lots of love guys hahahahahaha

[@TacticalNel]

My girlfriend loved your other Lewis and Clark video! We’ve been waiting for the next episode 👀👀

[@louvkjr]

This has my attention. What is next in this series?

[@MrBerroth]

First of all, the Missouri River in Missouri was 3x as wide as it was back then. It's 0.2 miles wide, back then it was 0.6 miles wide. Also the Missouri River was a wide but shallow river with insane current. Lewis and Clark then noted that there was islands flowing down the river. In the 1920s and 30s the Corps of Engineers dig out the Missouri River and made it more narrow for river travel. There is over 100 steamboats that sank between St. Louis and Kansas City. Reading about what the steamboat captains said about the Missouri River is also interesting. Now, Mark Twain wrote about a catfish that was caught (either on the Missouri or Mississippi River) that weighted 315lbs. Rumor has it that the reason why Kansas stopped noodling was because he tied a hay hook to his hand and went missing. Few days later he was found later (drowned) with a 200lbs still hooked on on the hay hook. Now there was a receipt from St. Louis from 1800s or maybe early 1900s for a catfish that weighted 150lbs. So 100lbs is good size but still small compared to history or their potential size.

[@steveelder5306]

there is some of my family lore recorded that reports a 200 pound catfish caught on the Mississippi River near Nauvoo, Illinois around 1840.

[@outdoorlife9410]

Awesome video Spencer. Big fan

[@bearhuntingmagazine]

Great video!

[@larrycable1948]

When I heard the theory, my initial thought was about the same as the final historian. The catfish was/is a common fish in American waters and both the blue and flathead get to that size range. The paddlefish wasn't an unknown, it's still a relatively common fish in the Ohio River basin. I couldn't think of a good reason to think that the description would be confused.

[@danamathiason7708]

Loved this!

[@thegreatlatinobambino5419]

I read a story printed in the late 1800's that claimed to use oxen to pull in catfish from limb lines, story was reprinted in the 90's Missouri conservation monthly magazine.

[@joeywhite6031]

It really reads to me that the five largest catfish may have been 100 pounds together. It would certainly be more believable than five 100 pounders.

[@richardhorn7688]

I have a photo of me when I was 13 holding up a 60 lbs flathead catfish and it was almost as tall as me. My dad caught it noodling and my job was to wade behind them holding the stringer with the fish

[@mikemehevic5292]

When I was in welding school, my welding teacher swore he was telling the truth when he said this, (he was a straight shooter and a good guy) he knew an underwater welder that was doing work in the Mississippi river and said he saw 2 catfish that had heads wider than his shoulders and he wouldn't work without a partner after that on that particular job.

[@duanewinter8188]

could it have been a Sturgeon? I know they are in the Missouri River

[@mikhail2400]

No one who has ever caught a catfish of any type would mistake a paddlefish for one. Just last year a record breaking blue, for this river, was caught in the Altamaha in GA, a much smaller river than the Missouri. Theres plenty of records of 100lb+ cats caught all over this country in its early history. Theres also records of those 100lb fish becoming more and more rare for generations. Catfish all along American rivers had their traditional breeding areas cutoff from them due to dams and other man made blockades. I saw a documentary where scientists say those fish are just now showing they have reestablished new breeding areas and more and more large cats are being caught every year. Now I have no idea if that documentary was true but it made sense when I watched it

[@ColReb2000]

Watching the live release of silver carp makes me cringe. They have severely hurt the native paddlefish populations in some parts of the southern US.

[@-a-strikelures1212]

I think the Lewis and Clark would have said something about the big flat bill on the weird huge catfish. They probably did catch some giant cats. There wasn't any pressure on the fish back then

[@underdogoutdoors]

That Journey in 1804 must have been incredible. It doesn't even seem that long ago, that we had "officially" unexplored areas.

[@justindowning186]

I just have a hard time believing they would confuse the two! One has whiskers! 🤷‍♂️✌️

[@smea87]

What journals did you comb through to get these entries. I’m planning a trip in reverse in a 1/2 scale homemade boat to match theirs. Would love to see some of the other journals out there

[@woodworkingoutdoorsman1660]

Not that I ever fished paddle fish, but for them to snag 9 paddle fish, makes more sense they were catfish. A 60 lb blue or flathead could be mistaken for 100 lb fish. Just makes more sense. Thanks for the video

[@travisengle224]

I think Spencer's point is that they caught 5 of them, Blue Cat WR=143 lb, Channel Cat WR=58lbs, flathead cat WR=123 lb, so sure, they can get that big, but I think he is saying how likely is it that they caught 5 out of 9 at that size. My thoughts, what about a species of sturgeon that may no longer be present in that part of the missouri. Lake sturgeon world record is 310 lbs and have inhabited the mississippi/missouri drainages (and they have barbel-like whiskers, which could lead to them being mistaken for catfish)

[@a.d.dwithjb4227]

You can make no mistake of a catfish for it has a large paddle like face.

[@handyman81216]

It isnt hard to tell the difference between a Catfish and a Paddlefish. They knew what they were caught, otherwise they wouldnt have called them "Catfish". My only hesitation would be how do they know it was 100+ pounds.

[@FishNole121]

I feel like though they have misidentified, these two aren't even close. L&C definitely would have written something like "canoe oar head" or something (even beyond 100 pound catfish) ridiculous. Cats in 1800 had to be giant when set next to today's, easily in the 100 ballpark.

[@David35445]

Considering the lack of fishing pressure during Louis and Clark's time I have to say a 100 pound catfish would not be unheard off.

[@joescott906]

Back then it probably wasn't uncommon to see catfish that size. They would have mentioned the paddle because it's a huge difference in comparison.

[@chevyon37s]

Rock boy just wanted an excuse to go snagging. I believe the fish they caught would have been catfish. Unlikely the Lewis and Clark party would have been snagging. And yea they probably exaggerated the weight some.

[@michaelbarrett2346]

Great video

[@timbercutter9766]

i have ate 70+ lb flatheads myself, so yes they probally did catch 100 lb catfish

[@JeremyReger]

Whatever you are paying Spencer I promise it’s not enough.. this is amazing.. keep this coming!

[@murkzu]

Wouldn’t a sturgeon make more sense than a paddle fish? They have small barbels and get huge.

[@smallmouthmessiah8496]

I feel like the dude who’s hosting this one is the only person who thinks they could have mistakenly called a Pattle fish a bluecat… like no one else does..

[@charlesbryant2279]

I’ve seen 3 catfish in the last 20 years that was over 100 pounds caught in the white river in Arkansas. Two flathead and one blue cat. They are out there just few and far in between.

[@Mo75149-j]

I Doubt they called a spoonfish a catfish, come on man.. Capt. William Heckman, in his book “Steamboating, Sixty-Five Years on Missouri’s Rivers,” reports anglers catching a 315-pound blue catfish and numerous 125- to 200-pound catfish from the Missouri River just after the Civil War. In 1879, Spencer Baird, U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, asked J.W.G. Steelman, Missouri’s first fish commissioner, to send him a large blue catfish. Steelman purchased two blue catfish at the St. Louis fish market, one weighing 144 pounds and the other 150 pounds, and sent the largest.

[@jonnygranville281]

There are paddle fish at a quarry in Tennessee. I can't wait to go scuba dive there.

[@MrBakedDaily]

I imagine back in their day there was many 100 lbs catfish everwhere

[@generadcliff2820]

This seems like a significant stretch to even remotely think that they couldn't tell the difference between a catfish and a paddlefish.

[@edbetsworth2772]

So, we are going to compare today’s Missouri River with the 1803 Missouri? The river has drastically changed since then. In 1803, the Missouri meandered all over the place, and was observed to be a mile wide and a foot deep in areas. After 1900, the federal government made drastic changes to the river. The river was known for flooding and this in turn would damage communities along the river. To control the flooding, 25+ dams were built on the Missouri and its tributaries, along with channelization occurring from St. Louis all the way to Yankton, South Dakota. In doing so, the river went from being a mile wide to just 300 feet in width. The river also lost 200 miles in length once the Army Corp of Engineers was done with the project. So a fishery that was known for being a refuge for wildlife and an abundant amount of fish caught, suddenly became a drainage ditch that couldn’t support squat. So if I was you, I wouldn’t question the Lewis and Clark expedition’s claim. What they fished & caught and what you fished are two different times and places.

[@tyleryoungandco]

An interesting way to mix history with a fishing trip. I like it. My bet is they caught cats. I grew up on that river and always dreamed of what was there before European settlement.

[@herbertgearing1702]

You never know man, before people were fishing with hook and line in this country there were some massive fish in pretty much every body of water. Check out the brookie someone caught in a new England farm pond - huge!

[@zachpearson6688]

Spencer. You’re smooth man. You do a great job every time. And on the podcast.

[@nergrohombre]

I got to say I am a bit perplexed that you thought they would not know the difference, nor comment on the paddle. Click bait?

[@FinznFowl82]

I'm curious as to how they were fishing. Were they using nets, traps, hooknline etc?

[@8catdog8]

What sort of fishing gear/ tactics were they using during the expedition? Were they at all familiar with snagging such as what you were doing? Or was it a bait a hook and throw it into the river kinda thing? Knowing this would certainly help in solving the mystery...

[@jonathangauthier3549]

I agree with Dr. Tennant as well. The Lewis and Clarke expedition took part before the mass construction of reservoirs, dams and other waterway obstructions or diversions and likely had less chemical wastes or people plundering their fish populations. We know from catfish noodling shows that they can grow to be absolute units, and as Dr. Tennant explained, the expedition members were familiar with catfish. The lack of any descriptions along the lines of "long-nosed catfish" is also a strong indicator that they were likely the blues similar to those mentioned at the end of the video, but in larger numbers due to less predation. The same can be said about the cod fisheries in the Canadian maritime provinces. Humans are greedy!