A Maryland angler has become the state’s first record holder for flathead catfish.
Joshua Dixon of Elkton had set out to catch walleye on the Susquehanna River on Dec. 27, but the only takers were flathead catfish.
When the record flathead struck, Dixon thought he had become snagged initially, because there was no movement.
“It was really weird because I thought I snagged a tree,” Dixon stated in a news release issued Wednesday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “It didn’t feel like a fish, but after a while it was going crazy.”
The fish measured 50 inches and weighed 57 pounds, qualifying for a vacant record in the state’s invasive species category. The MDNR had set 40 pounds as a minimum mark to qualify for a record.
ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Surfing flounder? Bizarre phenomenon caught on video
Dixon, 34, told For The Win Outdoors that he and a friend were casting swimbaits from shore and had caught more than 30 smaller flathead catfish before the giant fish attacked his lure.
He was using a light spinning outfit in swift river conditions, so landing the flathead was a challenge.
“I barely got it in,” he said. “I thought I was going to break the rod, plus I only had 15-pound-test braid [line] and a 12-pound-test fluorocarbon [leader], and the river was in crazy spill conditions.”
On Dec. 30, before the record was approved, Dixon stated on Facebook: “What a way to cap off my personal goal of 300 days of fishing this year. Pending new MD state record. 57#”
The angler donated fillets from his catch to neighborhood friends.
–Images courtesy of Joshua Dixon
