When I was a fagro fella, we fished the red a lot. Catching a 20lb cat was not unusual, a few bigger, but a 30 plus pounder avaided us entirely.
Was some great times with good buds
I used to work with a guy down in Nebraska that used 6 to 10 lb carp for flathead catfish bait on his bank lines. Out of curiosity I checked their state records and he hasn't broken it yet but I know he has come close several times.