I've heard stories about catfish this big in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, but have never caught even one myself. One Missouri man just landed 3 of them and these mammoth catfish are nearly as big as he is.
I grew up fishing with my dad in Missouri which makes me anything but an objective judge. However, science has now declared that fishing is infinitely better in Missouri than it is in Illinois and the numbers don't lie.
The internet loves declaring the best and worst of places and I prefer to focus on that first one. There is now a lake in Illinois that's been named the best in the state for a very specific type of tourist. Let's explore.
Something is stealing fish at night along the Meramec River in Missouri and if you ask the campers and fishermen, they'll also tell you they're hearing things they simply cannot explain.