- So I want you to take your fist,
just let the fish bite you.
- Okay.
- And just so you get a grasp
in understanding how powerful
this big of a fish could be.
If it's as big as it sounds like,
it will sound powerful.
I mean it sounds like a really
like a 40 plus pound fish,
they're in there.
They can be dangerous at this point.
- Okay. Yup.
- This is where you graduate from,
okay, they're powerful,
to oh wow.
They actually, if they roll on you,
they could really do some damage.
- [Coyote] Okay, okay.
Okay, here we go.
- So it's being very careful.
(suspenseful music)
- I'm a little nervous when Will was like, yeah,
there's a big fish that can do some damage.
Definitely makes you nervous.
- Yep. - Okay.
All right, guys, here we go.
Time to get eaten alive by a catfish.
(deep inhale and exhale)
(suspenseful music)
- Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Gyah. Oh wow.
- Yup. Gosh.
Holy crap.
- Where'd he bite you at?
- Oh my God. - Where'd he bite you?
- He almost broke my wrist.
He had my whole hand in his mouth.
Fish almost broke my wrist for sure.
Holy cow, that hurt, hold on a second.
- You want an arm sleeve now?
- What?
- You want an arm sleeve now?
- Ah no, no, no. - You sure?
- Oh man, dude, that fish is definitely
strong enough to break your wrist.
He almost broke my wrist, like crushing the bone.
Holy cow, I don't know if I should stick my arm
back in there.
Hold on a second, I'm gonna make sure
he didn't break my wrist.
Holy cow. Hold on, let me
- Hmm, they're not
oh, you're going to have gouges in your arm
I'll tell you that.
They bite you through that glove.
- Dude, he got right
look at that, look at, look at how red my arm is.
- Uh hmm, he's drawn blood already.
- Teeth all the way through.
- He's drawing blood already, yep.
That's normal for a blue cat.
- Okay. - That's a male.
So you know, you know what it's like, right?
- Yeah.
- So you know what it feels like?
- Yeah, it hurts.
- Okay, and so now we don't want the fish to bite you
any more than he has to, right.
- Okay. - Stick your hand in there
just like you have been.
- Flat? - Yep.
No, you do any of this and he grabs one finger
he'll break it, I promise.
- I'm afraid he's gonna break my hand and my wrist
the way that he is if I don't
- Well, you can take your fist and keep it together
but as soon as he bites you, you need to pin his mouth.
- I think if I keep a fist and then I put my
- You need to pin him and work your finger
to the outside lower jaw of his mouth.
- Okay.
- Hold him forward, he'll come back up for air
and hold him - Okay.
- And if he bites you over your thumb
you need to come out and reset.
You gotta pin him and then it's hard, man,
really hard to hold these fish and they're slimy.
They're powerful and they're mean.
They're really angry, you know.
- It's hard to describe to you guys the amount of power.
Like I thought that fish was gonna break my hand off.
- We're not gonna lose a fish, I promise.
- Okay.
- I will put my hand in.
- I'm worried about losing my hand not the fish.
Like I'm afraid I don't have two hands in his mouth
he's gonna, he's gonna break my wrist.
- If he rolls he might, yeah.
- Okay. - You gotta let him go.
- If he rolls, he might.
- If he rolls you gotta let him go.
- Holy cow, all right, hey, I'm going back down.
I'm gonna give this another, another shot.
I'm, I'm really nervous right now.
- I've always said this.
This is the most fun you can ever have on two feet.
- Okay, okay.
(suspenseful music)
- It's definitely hands.
Oh, golly, you hear that deep thump?
I hope that's on
- Okay, I think I hear something.
- Did you hear that deep thump?
- Yeah. - Oh man, he's
A deep, deep thump, he's a good fish.
- Okay.
He's up near the front of the box.
He's gonna get me this time.
- He probably will.
- Okay, oh, man, dude, I'm so nervous going down there.
They're like every time I turn that he's gonna get me
and I was afraid he's gonna break my wrist.
He's that big.
(suspenseful music)
- Get him Coyote.
If there's anybody gonna get him it's you.
- I know, I know, here we go.
(suspenseful music)
Ooh, ooh, I've got him.
- Hold on to him. - I've got him.
Oh my gosh. - Hold on to him.
- I've got him, I've got him.
- Calm down, you gotta calm down
'cause if you don't calm down
you will not getting this fish.
- Okay.
I got, I got my fingers locked in his jaw.
- I know, I know.
- I'm afraid he's gonna break my hand.
- No, he ain't gonna break your hand.
I got support of this fish.
(suspenseful music)
- He's crushing my hand.
- Come over this way,
over this way.
- You want me to put my other hand in his mouth?
- Hang on now, easy, easy now.
He's huge dude.
He's huge, easy, easy, not fast, not fast.
Hang on, he's got his tail up.
Just a second, let me grab his tail.
- Holy mackerel.
Holy cow. Look at the size of that fish.
- How about that boy.
- Holy cow, that is a huge fish.
Oh my gosh. I can not believe it.
Aah, aah, oh, he's crushing my hand.
Ry, look at the scarring on the top of his head.
That's crazy. That is a big fish.
That is a huge blue catfish.
The largest catfish species here in North America.
- You hold tight.
- I got him, I got him.
- You lose that tail you're gonna lose the fish.
You'll lose him.
- I got him, I got him, I got him.
- You crunch down on him just like you did, you hear me?
- [Camerman] You want me to hold the tail?
(grunting)
- Can you take off my mask? - Yep.
- Oh my goodness.
Just when you thought we were not going to catch
an enormous catfish, this thing is huge.
All right, guys, there you have it.
That is a 50 plus pound blue catfish.
This is the largest catfish species in the United States.
Obviously that distinct bluish coloration
is what gives it its name but these fish are rather ancient.
A fish of this size probably takes 30 or 40 years
to grow to this massive proportion.
If I turn it sideways like this and slightly lift it up
you can see just how long its body is.
Just under four feet in length.
That is what we would consider a true river monster.
If I turn it towards you like this
you can see the teeth up on the top jaw
and what they do is they catch their prey
and they crush it down with a vice-like grip.
That is exactly what my hand felt like inside of its mouth.
My hand is on the backside of its gill plate,
also known as the operculum,
and it's not hurting the fish in any way whatsoever.
The fish can still breathe.
I'm trying to keep it partially submerged.
I keep dunking it down just to make sure
that it's not getting too much sun
and this is the only way to hold onto one of these fish
without a rope.
And if you're wondering if my hand hurts right now,
it absolutely does.
And see how the eyes are set right in front of the skull.
They don't have the best eyesight
but this fish is relying on all of its other senses
to detect its environment.
Now whether that is to find prey or to avoid predators,
the barbels up front are sensory organs
to tell them everything about the water.
They can pick up vibrations, they can pick up smells,
and that is what allows these creatures
to be such perfect ambush predators.
Now this is without question a male.
The males get bigger than the females
and right now this fish was nestled down at a box,
getting ready to build its nest.
So we're gonna let this fish right back down
into the box where we find it
but I would say that this was hugely successful.
Will taught me everything that he knows
about landing one of these fish
and we could not have hoped for a more perfect specimen.
Oh man, catching catfish in Tennessee.
So cool. But this is it.
The largest catfish species in the United States.
The one and only blue.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be Brave, Stay Wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
All right, Will, time to get this fish back down
into its fish hotel.
Never in my wildest dreams did I envision
catching such a big fish.
Anglers go their entire lives hoping to land
a beast of that magnitude yet most will only
ever be able to speak of the big one that got away.
All right guys, here we go.
We're releasing the fish back down into its breeding box.
All right, ready Will?
Here we go.
One, two, three.
(suspenseful music)
Okay. Fish is in.
Woo, that was awesome.
I consider myself truly blessed
to have had a moment in time with that ancient creature.
A grandfather to the muddy waters of the Tennessee River
and the legend of a truthful tale
I will one day be able to share with my own grandkids.
(triumphant music)
And if you're a huge fan of "Brave Wilderness"
check out our merchandise at shopbravewilderness.com.
You'll find everything from T-shirts to hoodies
to backpacks and even my authentic Coyote Peterson hat.
(coyote howling)