BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. – An angler from Hobart, Indiana caught a new state-record flathead catfish while fishing in Berrien County, Michigan.
The flathead catfished weighed in at 53.35 pounds and measured 48 inches. Lloyd Tanner was fishing in the St. Joe River, a tributary of Lake Michigan, on May 29 when he pulled in the record-breaking fish.
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The previous state-record flathead catfish weighed 52 pounds and measured 46.02 inches long. It was caught in 2014 by Dale Blakley, of Niles, out of Barron Lake in Cass County.
“I’ve been fishing Michigan for almost 30 years,” Tanner said. “What draws me to Michigan is fishing for big catfish.”
Tanner said he usually comes every weekend to fish with friends in the Michigan Catfish Anglers Trail, or MCATS, an amateur fishing club.
“We have several fun tournaments that anyone who enjoys fishing for catfish can come out and fish,” he said.
Michigan’s state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, a fish must weigh more than the current listed state-record weight and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.
You can click here to view a list of Michigan state-record fish by species.
Read: Here’s how to find out if that fish you caught broke the state record in Michigan
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