One of the biggest catfish caught in years in the great state of Oklahoma was landed by angler Bradly Courtright who was fishing on Pine Creek Reservoir when he hauled in a whopping 95-pound flathead catfish.
The longstanding Oklahoma state fishing record for flathead catfish was set all the way back in 1977 by angler C.
Clubb who was fishing on Wister Lake near the Arkansas border when he landed a 106-pound flathead on a trotline. This absolutely gargantuan fish caught by Courtright was also landed on a trotline and fell just 11 pounds short of the unrestricted division state fishing record. Had he been fishing with a rod and reel it would have broke that record by 20 pounds!The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation shared images of the once-in-a-lifetime catfish this week and the details mentioned above on the previous record. Here’s Bradly Courtright holding up his flathead in the back of his truck:
Bradly Courtright caught this MASSIVE 95 lb flathead catfish in Pine Creek Reservoir on a trotline. This is the largest flathead ever caught in Pine Creek. This fish is almost 20 lbs larger than the Rod and reel record but 11 lbs short of the unrestricted division record – which… pic.twitter.com/NcHTjTXgUi
— Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept)
In this photo, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation described the fish as ‘the size of a 6th grader.’
YEE *and we cannot emphasize this enough* HAW https://t.co/CSO4RrSPgj pic.twitter.com/fq05wnhJHv
— Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept)
For context, the IGFA rod and reel fishing world record for flathead catfish is a 123 pound, 0oz fish caught on the Elk City Reservoir in Kansas by angler Ken Paulie. That record was set in 1998 and has stood strong ever since.
Flathead catfish are found throughout much of North America and are considered an invasive species in many parts, including the Northeast, but are well suited to life in an array of water conditions so they tend to flourish wherever they go.
Using a trotline is a popular method for catching large flatheads. So is ‘noodling’ where anglers use their hands to grab catfish by the mouth. This 98-pound flathead catfish was caught last Summer in Texas by someone using their bare hands and it is a BEAST of a fish.
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