Another piebald catfish caught on Lake Monticello

Unique fish was released alive and well

Last month, we ran an article about a piebald catfish that was caught on Lake Monticello, and it turns out that wasn’t the only piebald catfish caught on the midlands lake this summer. We’ve heard reports of at least two others being caught, including one that Gilbert’s Michelle Keisler caught on June 4.

Keisler was on a morning fishing trip with her dad and husband, and the trio had a field day, catching dozens of catfish on frozen cut herring on circle hooks, with most of them being blues.

“Between the three of us, we caught about 60 blues and a few channel cats that morning within 4 hours. They ranged from two to four pounds, but there were a good many in the 12 to 15-pound range,” said Keisler, who credits her husband Toby Keisler with knowing where to find the fish.

Bill Wilson, Michelle Keisler’s dad, is a lifelong bass angler, and he was shocked out how many catfish they boated in a morning of fishing, but they were all –– including Toby Keisler, who fishes for catfish on this lake quite often –– just as shocked when Michelle reeled in the piebald catfish.

After we ran the earlier story, some of our readers who had already seen other reports of Keisler’s fish asked if it was the same piebald, but looking at the photos, it’s clear by the distinct color markings on each fish that they are two different piebalds.

Keisler said one of the best things about this trip was that it was unclear whether she, her dad, or her husband had the most fun. And the piebald had a great day too. Keisler released it, hoping another angler can have the joy of catching it another day.