Legendary Catfish: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|"...and then I saw

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In a more general sense, an animal that ''ought'' to be considered easy prey, yet it is also a vicious creature that attacks ''you'' instead, succeeds in biting you and leaving a nasty scar (sometimes ''despite having no teeth!''). Oh, and it's darn near [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now|impossible to kill]] no matter how hard you beat on it, or how many bones you break.

Maybe it's a [[Killer Rabbit]], Evil Squirrel, or a Rabid Raccoon, or the actual evil Catfish himself (Several shows will have a whole episode about an evil vicious Catfish), but if it's an animal that should be easy prey, but turns into a ''[[Moby Dick]]''-style [[Animal Nemesis]] you've sworn to kill or die trying, you're probably dealing with [[The Catfish]].

Maybe it's a [[Killer Rabbit]], Evil Squirrel, or a Rabid Raccoon, or the actual evil Catfish himself (Several shows will have a whole episode about an evil vicious Catfish), but if it's an animal that should be easy prey, but turns into a ''[[Moby Dick]]''-style [[Animal Nemesis]] you've sworn to kill or die trying, you're probably dealing with '''The Catfish'''.

Bonus points if catching it requires the use of your own flesh as [[The Bait|live bait]].

Note that not ''all'' catfish in fiction are [[The Catfish]], and not all examples of [[Catfish]] are catfish. But in the places where catfish are common, they are well known for attempting to eat anything they can swallow, grow to enormous size given enough food, drive out other fish, and be extremely difficult to kill.

Note that not ''all'' catfish in fiction are '''The Catfish''', and not all examples of [[Catfish]] are catfish. But in the places where catfish are common, they are well known for attempting to eat anything they can swallow, grow to enormous size given enough food, drive out other fish, and be extremely difficult to kill.

[[Truth in Television]], at least in Eurasia. Look up the [[wikipedia:Wels catfish|"wels catfish"]], also called a "sheatfish". They can be up to 10 ft long (3m) and weigh ~~330lbs~~ (~~150kg~~). They eat ducks.

[[Truth in Television]], at least in Eurasia. Look up the [[wikipedia:Wels catfish|"wels catfish"]], also called a "sheatfish". They can be up to 10 ft long (3m) and weigh 330 lbs (150 kg). They eat ducks.

Compare [[Legendary Carp]].

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* '''Every Single Lake''' in America has its own Legendary Fish. Or at least some other awesome Folkie Tale or Legendary Legend, sometimes with cool gory bits. Make sure to ask around every time you visit one.

** OK, OK, every single ''large'', natural lake, and only the ones that don't have prehistoric monsters in them.

* Russian folklore features the sentient "Miraclous Whale Fish", whose body was turned into a [[Genius Loci|floating town]] as a [[Laser-Guided Karma|divine punishment]] for swallowing thirty ships ages ago. [[The Protagonist]] tells [[The Catfish]] about the punishment's reason, after which it spits out all of the ships ''unharmed together with the crew''. As soon as it's free from its curse, it starts helping the protagonist.

* Russian folklore features the sentient "Miraclous Whale Fish", whose body was turned into a [[Genius Loci|floating town]] as a [[Laser-Guided Karma|divine punishment]] for swallowing thirty ships ages ago. [[The Protagonist]] tells The Catfish about the punishment's reason, after which it spits out all of the ships ''unharmed together with the crew''. As soon as it's free from its curse, it starts helping the protagonist.

== [[Literature]] ==

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** They did a show about giant catfish in Germany, where tradition going back hundreds of years says, they eat people. It turns out they [[I'm a Humanitarian|only nip at them a little]]. Overlaps with [[Legendary Carp]].

*** In the episode focusing on them, he notes that the ones that've been allowed to breed in Barcelona are growing much bigger than the ones from their homeland typically do (thanks to warmer environment, basically), and it shouldn't be more than a few years before there genuinely will be ones big enough in those rivers to drag fishermen off the banks and swallow people whole.

** A specific ''subspecies'' of catfish, on the other hand, is definitely [[Truth in Television]]. The Goonch catfish of India, given the right environment, can certainly reach man-eating size. It's also notable (not unique, but notable) among catfish in that it's a ''predator'' rather than a scavenger. Jeremy Wade caught a five-foot-long one that weighed almost 170 pounds, and it wasn't quite big enough to eat a ~~person--which~~ means that the man-eating fish of the stories ''is still out there''.

** A specific ''subspecies'' of catfish, on the other hand, is definitely [[Truth in Television]]. The Goonch catfish of India, given the right environment, can certainly reach man-eating size. It's also notable (not unique, but notable) among catfish in that it's a ''predator'' rather than a scavenger. Jeremy Wade caught a five-foot-long one that weighed almost 170 pounds, and it wasn't quite big enough to eat a person—which means that the man-eating fish of the stories ''is still out there''.

* In one of the comedy episodes, [[Xena: Warrior Princess|Xena]] goes hunting for "Solaris" instead of chasing down the villain of the week thanks to meddling by Aphrodite. She still gets them in the end, of course..and then shoots the fish into the sky, turning it into a constellation for good measure. This would also be the episode where the infamous "[[Getting Crap Past the Radar|she wants me to fist a fish?]]" line came from.

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** Even Bigger ones [http://www.devilsden.com/default.php here:]

* In 2006 there was a rumour that a sea monster had been seen in the moats of Varbergs fÃ¤stning in Sweden. A woman who was out walking her dog had seen something huge shoot up from the water and swallow a gull in midflight. The monster turned out to be a large catfish.

* Reggie: a feral Gator swimming in Machado Lake in Harbor City, California. After over a year, he was caught in May of 2007 and currently resides in the LA Zoo. The late Steve Irwin would've had a go...if not for his unfortunate accident.

* Reggie: a feral Gator swimming in Machado Lake in Harbor City, California. After over a year, he was caught in May 2007 and currently resides in the LA Zoo. The late Steve Irwin would've had a go...if not for his unfortunate accident.

* [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124991924916619783.html?mod=yhoofront Benson the giant carp], formerly of Bluebell Lakes, England.

*** The Watts bar catfish in TN. I've heard stories that divers will only go down there once or they won't go down without A FRIKKIN CAGE!

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* ''[[Family Guy]]'' did it - with Daggermouth. {{spoiler|Who is actually animatronic and made as a way for its owner to make money from merchandising}}.

* This was an episode of ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'' involving such a fish. But Arnold and Gerald ended up letting the fish go in the end.

* ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Early season episode where Homer and Marge go to a marriage counseling retreat with [[Unfortunate Names|Reverend Lovejoy]], except Homer only [[Fishing Minigame|goes to catch]] the legendary catfish "General Sherman" who populates the retreat's lake. He does catch ~~it -- only~~ to throw it back in to show Marge that she matters to him much more. Afterwards, the fishing shop owner tells a patron about the man who caught the fish, but describes him as [[Memetic Badass|a giant with tree trunks for arms and hair as fiery as the pits of Hell itself]].

* ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Early season episode where Homer and Marge go to a marriage counseling retreat with [[Unfortunate Names|Reverend Lovejoy]], except Homer only [[Fishing Minigame|goes to catch]] the legendary catfish "General Sherman" who populates the retreat's lake. He does catch it—only to throw it back in to show Marge that she matters to him much more. Afterwards, the fishing shop owner tells a patron about the man who caught the fish, but describes him as [[Memetic Badass|a giant with tree trunks for arms and hair as fiery as the pits of Hell itself]].

* Ty gets dragged on a fishing trip by his father that includes the obligatory giant catfish in the ''[[Grossology]]'' episode "Squirm".

* An episode of ''[[Nightmare Ned]]'' subverts the usual plot- Ned and his dad actually succeed in catching the legendary fish, but after a [[Once an Episode|nightmare]], Ned lets it go. Then his dad decides they'll try and catch it ''every'' year...