BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. (WWJ) – There’s a new state record for the biggest flathead catfish ever caught in Michigan, and it belongs to an Indiana man.
Lloyd Tanner of Hobart, Ind., was fishing the St. Joe River in West Michigan's Berrien County over the Memorial Day holiday weekend when he landed a monster.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says Tanner was fishing with cut bait when he caught the flathead catfish, weighing in at 53.35 lbs. And measuring 48 inches long, or four feet, it would be taller than most third graders.
His monster catch beats the previous state record of 52 lbs., 46.02 inches – caught by Dale Blakely of Niles in 2014 out of Barron Lake in Cass County.
Tanner's fish was verified by Jay Wesley, Lake Michigan Basin coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"I've been fishing Michigan for almost 30 years," Tanner said. "What draws me to Michigan is fishing for big catfish."
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Tanner told the DNR he often comes to Michigan on the weekends 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, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight, and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.
To view a current list of Michigan state-record fish by species, visit Michigan.gov/StateRecordFish.
For more on planning your next fishing adventure, visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.
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