The Oklahoma Division of Wildlife Conservation introduced Tuesday that one of many largest flathead catfish ever recorded within the state had been caught on a trotline. Within the accompanying picture, resident angler Bradly Courtright stands in a truck mattress and holds up the large catfish that he pulled from Pine Creek Reservoir on Could 13.
“I’ve caught some massive catfish over 50 kilos,” Courtright tells Outside Life. “However this was the most important I’d ever seen.”
Learn Subsequent: Skilled Tips about The way to Catch Catfish
Officers with ODWC say it’s the most important flathead ever taken from Pine Creek Reservoir, a 3,500-acre lake within the southeast nook of the state. If Courtright would have caught the fish on a rod-and-reel, it might’ve crushed the Oklahoma state report by practically 20 kilos. Nevertheless it was simply 11 kilos shy of the standing state report within the “unrestricted” division, which incorporates fish caught with trotlines, in addition to by bowfishing and some other authorized means. That title nonetheless belongs to a 106-pounder, which was additionally caught on a trotline and pulled from Wister Lake in 1977. Even so, it’s a outstanding fish.
Courtright, 57, says he’d gone out to the lake by himself late within the day on Could 12 to set his trotline. Utilizing 25 particular person 7/0 circle hooks, he ran the road in 14-16 ft of water and tied it off to a stump at every finish. He baited every hook with inexperienced sunfish, which he calls goggle eyes.
“I obtained again on the water alone the subsequent morning and began checking the traces. I’d caught a small catfish, then knew a a lot greater fish was on the subsequent bait up the road,” says Courtright, who fishes out of a 17-foot jon boat. “After I yanked on the road with the larger fish it about pulled me over the aspect of the boat. I mentioned, ‘Holy Moly!’ Then I noticed it swirl within the water, and I knew the fish was over 80 kilos.”
Learn Subsequent: The Grasp Catfish Trotliners of the White River
Courtright hauled on the road and the large flathead pulled again. The tug-of-war lasted for a short time earlier than Courtright managed to muscle the fish up beside his boat. However he had no gaff, and his web was too small for the large fish.
“His head got here up, and I grabbed him and wrangled him over the aspect and into my boat.”
Courtright didn’t have a reside effectively or some other solution to hold the catfish alive. He put moist towels over it however the fish died in transit, he explains.
So, Courtright took the useless catfish to a rustic retailer in Ringo, the place it weighed 95 kilos on a scale. Then he known as ODWC fisheries biologist David Bogner, who advised him that whereas the catfish wouldn’t qualify for a state report, it was nonetheless a powerful catch and a waterbody report.
Bogner says he estimates the 95-pound flathead to be at the least 40 years previous, however since he by no means noticed it in particular person, he can’t say for positive. The catfish is now filleted and in Courtright’s freezer. He says he’ll be internet hosting an enormous barbeque within the close to future.
“That one heavy flathead is large enough to feed a complete lot of individuals.”