72.5 lb flat head wisconsin river

http://www.pdccourier.com/courier_press/Home.html. figured id share this is impressive I must say

Awesome fish scroll down.

http://www.pdccourier.com/courier_press/Home.html

is a flattie that big worth keeping?

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is a flattie that big worth keeping?

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Just for bragging about.Thats more than likly a 50+ year old fish,full of PCB’s and such.
Will never hit that 80 lb. mark now.

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is a flattie that big worth keeping?

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Um, Hello! They got their picture in the Courier Express!!!!

I bet some pig farmer and his pigs are going to be very happy campers.

A fish like that should be put back. No question about it.

Thats really sad. Whats the record over there anyway?

Jeez. This sounds Ike the musky or bass forum…

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Thats really sad. Whats the record over there anyway?

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WI record is Catfish, Flathead 74lbs 5 oz.

Nice fish congrats to the 2 fisherman.

It is a nice fish, but couldn’t that pic have been snapped in the boat? I guess it is their fish and they can do what they want with it, but personally, taking it off the water would never even cross my mind.

They don’t say how the fish was caught. I’d bet it was a bank pole. the Wisconsin around there isn’t that easy to navigate at night for sport fishing. That is a very old fish and it has spread its genetics many many times. I would have let it go but might not have if I thought it was the record. It is damn close to the record. I wonder how many of the ski guys would release a 68lb musky.

My guess is that the fish stayed at the fish shop mentioned on the sign behind these guys and that they walked away with a check in hand.

man down..

Congrats to the lucky anglers! That is a beast of a fish. I would’ve thrown it back, too. But, whatever, it’s not my fish. Congrats to them!

Not that I will ever be in the position, but I won’t give it a second or first thought to snap pictures and release a record fish. Does anyone know the name of the guy who caught the record bass on Auburn or any other record for that matter?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d plaster pictures of the fish all over the place and puff out my chest.

WOW nice flat

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Not that I will ever be in the position, but I won’t give it a second or first thought to snap pictures and release a record fish. Does anyone know the name of the guy who caught the record bass on Auburn or any other record for that matter?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d plaster pictures of the fish all over the place and puff out my chest.

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Exactly.

I am of the same mind as most everyone else on the CPR thing, but regardless that’s one impressive flathead!!!

Whether taken via bankpole or R&R. I remember well anchored bank poles getting pulled out of the bank many years back, and I’m sure the top end size was somewhat smaller than on the Wisc. river.

I heard through the grapevine that these guys got another one 50 plus a few days ago. They are meat hunters using bank poles. I grew up on that stretch of the Wisconsin river and I don’t recommend running it at night. You almost have to find a good camp spot and use it as a base camp to fish the lower Wisconsin.

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Not that I will ever be in the position, but I won’t give it a second or first thought to snap pictures and release a record fish. Does anyone know the name of the guy who caught the record bass on Auburn or any other record for that matter?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d plaster pictures of the fish all over the place and puff out my chest.

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I’d personally have a really hard time not claiming the state record if I had it without a doubt. I could puff my chest out all I wanted, but without the proof, it’d just be another fish story.. Then again they all are I reckon.

According to the data I can scrounge up, average life span for flatties that made it to adulthood is 12-14 years of age, with 24 being the longest recorded(Different studies argue 20-24 years old.)

The last tagged fish I caught was 23lbs and 15 years old.. I don’t know how much they can grow in those last 5 years, but I have to imagine any fish pushing state record sizes may not be long for this world anyways. (Still wouldn’t take it out unless I was sure.

Josh, in Joel’s research they’ve found flats to be different ages at the same size. I don’t recall the exact numbers, but they aged a 23ish pound flat that was older then a 30+ pound flat. Genetics and food sources played a roll in it’s size it was summarized.

There are DNR reports of flats living to 30. I don’t have time to look for them right now though.

PS did anyone hear of the state record shovelnose being caught a few months ago?

That’s less then 15 minutes of fame.

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Josh, in Joel’s research they’ve found flats to be different ages at the same size. I don’t recall the exact numbers, but they aged a 23ish pound flat that was older then a 30+ pound flat. Genetics and food sources played a roll in it’s size it was summarized.

There are DNR reports of flats living to 30. I don’t have time to look for them right now though.

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I know environment plays a huge role in fish size (hence the fish you can get that grow to “fit the tank”)

I didn’t come across any of the reports of 30+ years old (one spoke of 24 as if it were outstanding)

Up here I know they grow slower too than in the southern climates since half the year they’re napping and not nomming on everything that swims by.

Not that I have the illusion of ever being put in the position of having to decide (I doubt my tack would handle it, and I don’t target them, they just like cut bait more than the channels do apparently when I’m around o.O)

I’d be hard pressed to give anyone a bad time for turning in a state record, but anything big and under the state record is kinda foolish to take out of the ecosystem I’d totally agree. Especially since there’s only like, four of us on the forums here from MN that don’t think walleye is the only edible fish

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Especially since there’s only like, four of us on the forums here from MN that don’t think walleye is the only edible fish

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It’s a brotherhood!

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It’s a brotherhood!

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Har, and probably a good thing it’s a small one! Couldn’t imagine if we had the harvesters up here like they did in the south.. We’d catch less catfish than Pug

I’m not sure that is possible Josh. A bullhead isn’t really a catfish..well sort of.

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We’d catch less catfish than Pug

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Impossible,nope not gunna happen…..

I’ll show you guys. Catfish.com is fishing the 4 Seasons tourney and afterward you guys will envy me like Dave on Wicked Tuna.

Hah,

To be fair, I’ve only caught one so far this year, a 23lb tagged flatty.. Otherwise I don’t have much room to talk! However, I’ll be voracious once again once the darned river slows down a lil bit more… that crest was a lil scary.

Otherwise.. Pug, I’m just Joshing yah! dunnn pppshh…

This is one big flathead anywhere. It was caught on a bank pole. There was a picture in the Dubuque paper last Sun. Too
bad that it isn’t still swimming.The lower Wisconsin is fished heavy with bank poles and they get some big ones every year.
I know of one over 80lbs caught in a hoop net two years ago here on pool 11. Even if these fish were butchered, it lets us know that there are some big one out there.