Welcome to what some call “the dark side”. Most will never understand what happens when slime flows through your veins.
The photos posted here are the end result of scouting, planning, preparation and patients. Or someone just luckingout.
Post’em when you get’em!
This fish is not from 2013, I hope you don’t mind me posting it. I was fishing walleyes below the Pool 4 dam in Alma in 2010 when this beast hit my 1/4 oz Gumball Jig that I had tipped with a fat head. I was jigging walleyes with a 6′ Medium Action G-Loomis IMX when the beast hit. I faught the fish for 24 minutes before we saw what it was. We tried weighing him with a 50 lb max hand held normark scale but it just registered 0’s. I called the local DNR from my boat in the morning, I asked him what the Wisconsin state record flathead was, they told me 74.5 lbs. I told them that they better send a warden to meet me and that I may have one close. We met the warden at the power plant ramp and his scale wouldn’t read either. We ended up weighing the fish on the only scale in town that had the capacity to read the fish, that was at the Alma Feed Mill. Official Length: 50.5″ Official Weight: 63 lbs 2 oz. 11 lbs short of the state record. The fish was released without being harmed. to this day I don’t think I have ever intentially fished for cats, but being and avid walleye fisherman, I do catch them quite often.
Wow! Just think! If you would have caught it a few hours later she would have eaten a few more walleyes to weigh that 11 pounds more. 
Good looking fish!
Hey? Do you recall what month that was?
Congratulations that was a monster flathead. I hope to catch one like that someday.
The 3rd week of March, 2010.
That fish sure could have put a permanent bend in a walleye rod.
Me too Jerry! 
Nice Fish 
WOW!! Where would one hang that mount? Right above the headboard.
Ok guys, you won’t believe this one!!! Call it dumb luck!! I’m a Rock River local, and lemme tell ya, the Rock is not a river that is known for producing HUGE flatheads. It’s not uncommon to see 20 pounders caught in the way upper river, but nothing, I mean nothing of this magnitude!!! My 10 year old son and I were vertical jigging walleyes on the Rock this last Friday near Ft. Atkinson WI just above Lake Koshkonong. At about 5:00pm I got hit so hard it darn near knocked the rod out of my hand!!! I didn’t realize the size of the fish so I did what I always do and handed my 10 year old son the rod, 15 minutes later we hadn’t seen the fish yet. Here I am standing there with the net giving him crap because he couldn’t get the fish to the boat. Him being 10 years old I figured it was a 15 lb Buffalo or Carp or something of that nature. He eventually got the fish along side of the boat but couldn’t get it off the bottom, he tuckered out and handed me the the rod. I immediatley knew the fish was HUGE when I took the rod, kinda felt bad for heckeling him!! LoL!! Once I saw the fish I realized the net was going to be no use so I handed the rod back to my son and I grabbed the fish by it’s mouth, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I lifited it into the boat!!!
I got an offical length measurment with my stanley tape measure in the bottom of my boat: 54″ exactly
Because of the time of the year there were quite a few boats on the river so I started asking the near by boats if anyone had a digital scale since mine only read to 25 lbs. One guy had a digital that had a 50 lb max, we tried and it flatlined!! “ERROR MAX WEIGHT EXCEEDED” I tried calling our local warden on his cell but he didn’t answer. Now given the fact that I had caught a 50 incher in 2010, and it weighed in the low 60’s I figured this one to be in the high 60’s or even bigger??? I deliberated on what I was going to do for about an hour because I didn’t want to release a “potential” state record. Eventually I said “what the heck” and released her with no official weight, only an official measurement of 54″!!!
Take a look!!! Let me know what you guys think this beast could have weighed!!! If anyone says 74 lbs or above I’m going to be very bummed!!! LoL
Date: 3/29/2013
Location: Rock River, Ft. Atkinson, WI
Rod: 6′ Medium Action St. Croix Legend Extreme
Reel: Shimano Saros 1500
Lure: 1/4 oz Odd’Ball jig tipped with a magnum fathead
Line: 6 lb test Berkley Triline XT
Attached is a Flathead to compare this too. This cat was 72 lbs 8 oz (2 lbs short of State Record) and here is the link to the page:
http://www.gofishn.com/gofishn/massive-flathead-falls-2-pounds-short-wisconsin-record/
Well what’s everyone conclusion when comparing?
Personally, I think the best answer is “whatever you want it to weigh”.
Nice fish.
Here’s a 59 pounder. Notice how he’s using two hands to support the weight of the fish.
One hand in the mouth and one on his belly?? I didn’t have the lux of a good camera man, my son is 10!!! And not too good with a camera, especially a camera phone!! Tried many times for pics but by the time he would snap a pic I wouldn’t be able to hold him any longer!!! Will never know the weight!! But 54″ was the length, and 53″ is what the current state record measured!!!
Nauga Monster what a story and memory for you and your son!! Wow on 6lb line?? That took skills.Congratulations
Nice Fish 
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If anyone says 74 lbs or above I’m going to be very bummed!!! LoL
Looks about 73lbs 15ozs to me 
Nice fish that you get to share credit with your son. Backup the picture!
Congratulations Nauga Monster. I think they look very similar but pictures are hard to judge weight by. I’m sure it was close to the record. It’s a shame you didn’t have a bigger scale. Also good thing you had the extra tough line regular trilene would have broken for sure. 
Well my girl kicked my butt yesterday cat fishing. She caught a 61.13 LBS flathead on a 6 inch goldfish. So proud of her. She fought it and got it in all by herself.
If your going to get your butt kicked…that’s the way to have it done!
Awesome tank Tom Collier’s girl!
Yeah, That’s a monster Tom. Thanks for the picture. It keeps my blood pumping.
Hawt Dang!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweeet Catch!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Two firsts of the year – 44 for me, 12 for Ced…
Nice way to kick of the new season!
Nice
So I got off work early today figuring I’d soak cut bait for channels. This guy Rob comes over to me and says he just lost his 3rd bullhead and was low on hooks. I offer him a 2 hook snell rig and he offers me a Bullie. We proceed to catch fish.
Post deleted by Swollen Goat
Nice surprise, eh?
I was actually a bit dumbfounded, he hit that 20 lb at around 1:15
My first ever Flathead.
Not big but bare in mind I’m a 2-1-8’er.
Congrats! Dandy one!
No one should ever apologize for the size of their flathead, or any fish for that matter. Nice one!
Quote:
No one should ever apologize for the size of their flathead, or any fish for that matter. Nice one!
So that goes for Muskies too 
If it’s sub 40’s is that postable on the picture thread? I’m just curious, cause some guys on other sites would give a guy crap for posting fish in the sub 40’s category 
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