MONROE COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Monroe County man has set a new state record for a flathead catfish, according to the Michigan DNR.
Codie Carlson, from Newport, was bowfishing in Plum Creek on Sunday, June 29 when he caught the flathead catfish, weighing in at 64.46 pounds and 45 inches long.
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According to the DNR, the previous record for flathead catfish was 55.35 pounds and 43 inches, caught by Lloyd Tanner, from Indiana, on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County in 2022.
DNR fisheries biologist John Buszkiewicz verified the catch, and said his crew may have caught the same fish during a survey in 2020. At that time, the fish weighed 55 pounds and was 43 inches long.
State record fish are recognized by weight only, and to qualify, the fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight, be weighed on a certified commercial scale and have its identification verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.
