Courtesy photo Codie Carlson was bowfishing Plum Creek on Sunday, June 29, when he brought in a new state-record flathead catfish.

While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, an angler from Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record fish: a flathead catfish weighing in at 64.46 pounds and measuring 45 inches!

Codie Carlson was bowfishing Plum Creek in the early-morning hours of Sunday, June 29, when he brought in the record-breaker.

This fish beats the previous state-record flathead catfish — 53.35 pounds, 43 inches — caught in 2022 by Lloyd Tanner, of Hobart, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County.

While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, Codie Carlson of Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record flathead catfish.

DNR fisheries biologist John Buszkiewicz, who works out of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Lake Erie Fisheries Management Unit, verified Carlson’s new state-record fish. Buszkiewicz and his crew may have even caught this exact fish during a survey in the same location in 2020; at the time, the fish caught weighed 55 pounds and measured 43 inches.

Carlson, a self-described “true fishoholic,” said, “I thought I was about to shoot a channel catfish for dinner. Turns out, I guess we do have flathead catfish in these waters.”

About state-record fish

Michigan’s state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight and be weighed on a certified commercial scale, 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.

Inspired to plan your next fishing adventure? Visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.