Massive Catfish Caught On Lake Norman

I always tell people, I hate fishing.  That's really not true.  What I hate, in general, are things I am horrible at doing.  I am beyond a horrible fisherman.  True story.  Once I was at a radio event that involved a STOCKED pond.  People were pulling fish the size of Chevys out of that thing right and left.  I was the last person standing there, with my young son waiting to see his dad pull a fish out.  Nothing.  So when I hear about some college kid ripping a prehistoric catfish from Lake Norman, I admire him.  I'm jealous of him.  And yes, I hate him. <g>

Laython Sloop was only using 14-pound line while fishing Saturday on Lake Norman.  So, there's no way he should be able to reel in a 75 pound catfish that decided his bait was tasty, right?  Wrong.  At that weight it took both Sloop and his friend Justin Smith working together to get the fish in.  Sloop nicknamed the catfish “Normie,” and like all good sport fishermen, he reeled in the beast, took a picture, and then released "Normie" to challenge the next angler.

Which is another huge difference between Sloop and people like me.  People like me who suck at fishing?  The moment we rip a catfish like this from Lake Norman, we can't get to the taxidermist fast enough.  Everyone in perpetuity would walk into my house, look over the mantle and think, "Wow, the greatest fisherman of all time lives here."  And who would I be to debate against such evidence? <g>

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Here is a little background on my experience fishing.  My dad took me pond fishing for the first time just about the same time I was able to hold a cane pole.  To say I was "hooked" right away is an understatement.  The funny thing is, my Dad didn't really like fishing but when he saw how much I loved it he took me time and time again. As a grown up, I started looking into fishing guides.  Here are my 3 favorite fishing guides on Lake Wylie.

I grew up with a dad that fostered my love of fishing and he took me as long as I did these things. Girl,he said, "you need to tie your own knots, bait your own hook, take off your own fish, know how to clean it and learn how to cook it." And I did.

After I got to college at Western Carolina University I found a great river to go trout fishing in and I quickly moved right across the street from that river.  Now here is the funny thing.  I married a guy that does not like to fish. How did that happen? Long story short, I started to look into fishing guides on Lake Wylie.  There are many of them and many good ones.  Admittedly I have not tried them all but I have found three that I would highly recommend. I have fished with these three guides multiple times and I have always had a blast.  And most importantly they put me on some fish. If you are looking to catch catfish on Lake Wylie, you will not go wrong with these amazing captains.

Justin has taken me and my morning show partner Tanner out fishing several times.  This man is passionate about catching catfish.  He knows where to find them!  We have always had a blast with Justin and he is a heck of a nice guy.  He loves teaching kids how to fish.  Make it a girls day on the lake or bring the family. He offers different levels of guide service and may even clean what you catch!  Check out Justin's Facebook page right here.

I have been fishing with Rodger more times than I can count.  We primarily fished on Lake Wylie but caught some big ones on Lake Wateree as well.  Rodger is another guy that knows where to find catfish and how to catch them.  My brother in law Jim and I really enjoyed fishing with Catfish On! Guide Service.

Captain Trent is an old college friend of mine.  He and I used to fish for trout on the Tuckaseegee River in Cullowhee, North Carolina so he is a personal friend.  Trent has always been passionate about fishing , lives on Lake Wylie and thought he would share his secret fishing spots with others.  He has a new guide service he calls Wylie Guide and my brother in law and I  went fishing with him in December.  It did not take long for him to find some nice ones for us and we had a blast.  He is a great guy, a knowledgeable angler and he will flat put you on some fish.  I can personally highly recommend Cpt. Trent for a great day catching catfish on Lake Wylie. Check out details right here