caught a weird fish

Question
hi, i was fishing for bass in a nearby creek at brownsville texas, using a spinnerbait lure, and i caught a fish that i don't know. it was brown with black, had a wide head, large mouth, and it was ugly looking, its most distinct characteristic was its pectoral fins, they looked like a semi-circle and were spread out kinda like a catfish when it is taken out of the water, except these looked like a fan and it would try to use them to walk on the grass when i placed it down on the ground. it was caught in fresh water and i released it back after i got it off the hook.  what species is it? thank you for any information

Answer
Hi David,

Unfortunately, I cannot identify offhand what type of fish you caught, although it does sound interesting.  I found a place online where you can look at pictures of native texas fish and try to identify him for yourself:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/species/

The links on there are categories and you can get more specific by clicking on something that looks similar.  If you can't find anything there, I would suggest calling Texas Parks & Wildlife and asking for someone who knows a bit more about wild fish than I do. :)  I've lived in Texas for about 6 years now, but I have yet to go fishing!

I hope this link helps you, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more service to you.  Good luck and happy fishing!

-Lindsay