Angler Catches Record-Breaking Fish In Southeast MI

NEWPORT, MI — A southeastern Michigan angler caught a record-breaking fish earlier this summer, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Codie Carlson was bowfishing at Plum Creek in Newport during the early morning hours on June 29 when he reeled in the giant flathead catfish, which weighed 64.46 pounds and was 45 inches long.

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."

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

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.

Moreover, Buszkiewicz and his crew may have even caught this exact fish during a survey in the same location in 2020. At that time, the fish weighed 55 pounds and measured 43 inches.

Michigan's state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, a 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.