Have you ever wondered why there is a big statue of  catfish sitting in the empty parking lot  of a warehouse at the corner of Bayou Liberty Road and Nunez Drive just outside of Slidell?

The large fish, made of foam and fiberglass, has been sitting there, watching traffic go by for the past 15 years.

It’s missing some fins and it’s whiskers, and it looks like it needs a coat of paint.

This giant fiberglass and foam catfish has been watching traffic on Bayou Liberty Road outside Slidell for the last 15 years. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

This was not the original site for the 20-foot long catfish. On each side of the fish are the faded white letters spelling out Kelly’s, which is the secret of its origins.

The fish was once owned by Ron McCloskey, who owned the restaurant Kelly’s Catfish Corner at the intersection of U.S. Highway 11 and Lakeshore Drive, at the base of the Five Mile Bridge across Lake Pontchartrain.

McCloskey opened the restaurant in 1972 and named it after his daughter. He wanted something that would attract customers, so he commissioned a company in Chicago to make the giant catfish. For 20 years that fish sat on a pole high off the ground in front of Kelly’s.

“It was a landmark all right,” McCloskey said, adding the fish was the first thing motorists saw coming off the bridge.

McCloskey closed the restaurant in 1992. That’s when local contractor  Cliff Penick  inquired if Mccloskey wanted to sell the fish. McCloskey offered it for $5,000, but Penick declined.

Later, Penick and Mrs. Mccloskey came to an agreement. If Penick would give her about 20 roofing tiles, worth about $300, Penick could have the fish.

Penick transported the fake fish by trailer to his warehouse on Bayou Liberty Road, where it sat in a corner of the parking lot for a couple of years. It became a local curiosity. Penick said people wanted their picture taken with the fish.

However, local kids got into the habit of pushing the fish over, since it was mounted on a short metal pole, and easy to push, despite its size.

So Penick poured a 10-foot by 10-foot concrete slab, put the fish on top of the slab and bolted the fish  down. That’s where it has been ever since.

Penick said that during Hurricane Katrina, there was 10 feet of water in the parking lot, and the slab floated up out of the ground, and moved toward the road.

The fish remained erect, though.

Penick said he still gets offers from catfish farmers and restaurants to buy the fish, but he has turned them all down.

“It’s not for sale,” Penick said. “But if someone were to offer something really outrageous, I might think about it.”

Have you ever wondered? Is there something in, around or about St. Tammany Parish that has you puzzled or curious? Is there a question that’s been tugging at your brain, and you just don’t know how to find the answer? St. Tammany News wants to help. Ask us, and we’ll share whatever we can find out. Also, if you know something you think might be stumping somebody else, feel free to provide both the question and the answer. We’ll be happy to pass it on. Contact Anne Lautzenheimer at 649-0253.