Germany's legendary dog-eating catfish found dead

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | July 26 2003 | Reuters

[knighthawk]

A giant catfish that ate a dog and terrorised a German lake for years has washed up dead, but the legend of "Kuno the Killer" lives on.

A gardener discovered the carcass of a 1.5-metre long catfish weighing 35 kilograms this week, a spokesman for the western city of Moenchengladbach said yesterday.

Kuno became a local celebrity in 2001 when he sprang from the waters of the Volksgarten park lake to swallow a Dachshund puppy whole. He evaded repeated attempts to capture him.

"He was our Loch Ness monster," said Uwe Heil, member of "Kuno's Friends", a local rock band named after the fish.

Several fishermen identified the carcass as Kuno, but doubts linger.

"That's not the Kuno we know," said Leon Cornelius, another member of "Kuno's Friends". He said he had seen several huge catfish in the lake, one about 1.8 metres long with a white-spotted nose.

Low water levels and a summer heat wave probably killed the catfish, among the biggest found in Germany. The northern city of Bremen plans to stuff it and put it in a museum.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Dog Gone]

Kuno became a local celebrity in 2001 when he sprang from the waters of the Volksgarten park lake to swallow a Dachshund puppy whole. He evaded repeated attempts to capture him.

That's because they refused to bait their hooks with Dachshund puppies.

[spoiler2]

"Several fishermen identified the carcass as Kuno, but doubts linger."

Perhaps a little mortician's wax and some makeup will help the doubters remember him!

[b4its2late]

The fish probably died from mercury poisoning he got from eating the dog......

[ClearCase_guy]

"That's not the Kuno we know," said Leon Cornelius

Look, we need photographs to convince the people that the Evil One is dead. That may offend some sensibilities, but it is the only way that dog-lovers can rest easy and be sure that the reign of terror is over.

Low water levels and a summer heat wave probably killed the catfish

Yes. That, and the TOW missile.

[dirtboy]

France has bigger catfish that eat standard poodles:

[ffusco]

Holy Carp!

[Lijahsbubbe]

That's not the Kuno we know

He let his whiskers grow to avoid capture.....

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We've got spoonbill catfish bigger'n that here in the Lake of the Ozarks.

[TomB]

A møøse ate my pøødle ønce.

[knighthawk]

That's one huge fish!

[MotleyGirl70]

OMG! That's actually gross. ICK!

[dirtboy]

That one was listed at 210 CM and over 100 lbs.

[The Radical Capitalist]

From a previous post of mine re:catfish --

Catfish are the vermin of the deep. They're bottom-dwelling, offal-eating, trash fish with all the fight of my grandma on Thorazine. Even their whiskers give me the creeps - fleshy protuberances that look like something a dermatologist would burn off with an electric cauterizing knife and send to the lab for biopsy. No matter how you bake or batter them, their oily flesh has the gristle consistency somewhere between a boiled owl and your dad's sidewalls. A day without catfish is like a day without stomach cramps.

[baseballfanjm]

Woah! That'll make a few good meals!

[jriemer]

Did it plump when they cooked it?

[VadeRetro]

Good tagline! (Not a bad catfish, either!)

[AppyPappy]

That's cuz you ain't fixin 'em right

[ErnBatavia]

I remember that! Just as funny the second time around.

[dirtboy]

Here's a flathead catfish from Kansas - 123 Hillary-ugly pounds:

[ErnBatavia]

swallow a Dachshund puppy whole.

Pretty smart fish....with a Dachshund, the little legs probably made it a lot easier going down.

[tom paine 2]

This brings back memories of "hoggin" in the Embarass River in southern Illinois. You ever do that?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Just noticed your tagline. What happened to the big cat?

[ruppertdog]

I heard that divers who were forming the pilings for the 2nd avenue bridge in Rome GA in the mid 1980's reported seeing some catfish big enough to swallow a human. This was near the convergance of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers to form the Coosa River in downtown Rome.

[Double Tap]

So in other words, you have never fished for, caught or consumed any catfish.

[VadeRetro]

For some reason, the catfish I've had in restaurants were about as light and tender as flounder or mahi-mahi. I assume such are farmed, fed, and babied right up until harvest time.

[Mat_Helm]

"Lousy Krouts so what, Catfish Hunter once ate an entire moose whole, that was wading in Wabasha Lake, putzs!"

"That's right morons, Catfish Hunter is the greatest fish that ever lived.

[dirtboy]

Nah, but I knew guys who went after big catfish in Oklahoma with their bare hands.

[Lijahsbubbe]

LOL! Great post!

[eddie willers]

"Guffaw!"

[dirtboy]

He ran afoul of management the other day. No word as to whether he's in the cooler or on permananet exile.

[RoughDobermann]

The largest freshwater catfish is the wels or danubian catfish (silurus glanis), which lives only in Europe. It has a wide, flattened head with only six whiskers (American catfish have eight), a rounded tail, and a straight-edged anal fin that runs more than half the length of its body. It is known to reach a length of nearly 10 feet (3 meters) and a weight of 440 pounds (200 kg), with individuals reported over 700 pounds.

[Consort]

Wow! Ein Bucht Ness Ungeheuer.

[dirtboy]

Here's a big rat for you:

Oklahoma record blue, 87 pounds.

[dirtboy]

Post number 7 is a wels catfish.

[grapeape]

What do you fry that thing in?

[Dead Dog]

"No matter how you bake or batter them, their oily flesh has the gristle consistency somewhere between a boiled owl and your dad's sidewalls"

Maybe if you feed it puppies....

[MotleyGirl70]

So are bullheads. Those are just as nasty. I unintentionally caught one and was really grossed out.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Must've used a steel leader.
I think the Missouri record is 165 pounds for a spoonbill. I saw one big boy that was curved into a "U" shape, laying the the bed of a chevy pickup truck. It was over 100 pounds.

[dirtboy]

Well, this guy LOVES catfish:

[metalcor]

My Grandfather had a good recipe for Blue Cat, which are generally fat and rubbery.

Take an oak board with dimensions at least 1 inch longer/wider than the fish. Place the fish on the board and nail its head and tail after stretching the fish as much as possible.

Soak the fish in lemon juice for 2o minutes, then baste liberally with tarter sauce.

Place the board and fish in the oven for 10 minutes at 300deg, remove and baste again and allow the fish and board to marinate for another 10 minutes.

Return to oven and bake for 20 more mins.

Remove from oven. Take the fish from the board. Throw fish in garbage and eat the board because anything is better than Blue Cat.

[mhking]

Mississippi Handgrabbing

HMB/Bizarre PING....

If you want on or off this list, FReepmail me!

FYI: This has fast outgrown it's original "charter" and become a home for the truly bizarre. An alternative saying/phrasiology is being sought (and suggestions are very welcome!). Also, like it's "cousin list" the B/C list, it has become a high-volume list.

---

I'm leaning toward "Just damn," on the suggestion of quite a few folks. I won't make a decision until Sunday. (And thanks to all of you for sending your suggestions!)

[bedolido]

is that really a catfish? I know it looks like one... but is it?

Totally amazing...

[dirtboy]

Actually, a spoonbill cat is not a catfish but a paddle fish, a fish more like a sturgeon.

[RoughDobermann]

So are bullheads. Those are just as nasty. I unintentionally caught one and was really grossed out.

Grossed out by a bullhead? Try this...

[sticker]

I don't know what type of catfish you have been eating or how it was dressed, but catfish are one of the best eating fish there is. They are right up there with crappie and trout

[VadeRetro]

I think that any lovin's good lovin'
So I took what I could get!
When she looked at me with those big brown eyes
And said, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It may resemble a sturgeon but its in the catfish family. At least, that's what the literature says. They taste like catfish (which is to say, they taste like dirt)...