72 lb Flathead Catfish!

  • average-joe
    Hudson, WI
    Posts: 2376
    #894399

    What a pig

    Nice fish Ben

    tony_apisa
    E. Moline Illinois along the Rock River
    Posts: 1180
    #894404

    Holy Shnykees! Congrats.

    stuart
    Mn.
    Posts: 3682
    #894412

    WOW!!!

    mossydan
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    Posts: 7727
    #894427

    Nice flathead Ben, very nice fish!

    chadmayer
    Gretna, NE
    Posts: 136
    #894435

    That is one of the biggest fish that I’ve ever seen. Congrats Ben!

    ggoody
    Mpls MN
    Posts: 2603
    #894436

    Quote:


    The belly on this thing was almost out of the ordinary.


    To me the size of it’s mouth is what’s out of the ordinary…

    Ben Garver
    Hickman, Nebraska
    Posts: 3149
    #894440

    Quote:


    So, what kind of crankbait and what color?


    #5 jointed black and gold in color.

    mb376
    Lincoln, Nebraska
    Posts: 120
    #894503

    WOW

    How many shad a day do you suppose that thing eats? Thanks for the story and photos.

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #894555

    So armchair biologists, what do you think? She miss the spawn? Not spawning this year? Or he or she is just a plane old mutant.

    I should clarify the difference between 1 and 2. It’s possible she could still spawn yet this year, as we know, there isn’t a spawning switching where they all nest at once.

    Mike Klein
    Hastings, MN
    Posts: 1026
    #894579

    that dude could eat me.

    sharkbait
    The mud puddle in western Ks
    Posts: 347
    #894914

    Shorty rods seem to attract them..Out of six rods we usually run it seems like 70-80 percent of the flatheads we catch are on the 2 shortys.Guys u ought to try some fat free shads inyour spread if you have been finding the flatheads they really seem to like them..And the big walleyes find them to.

    Brian Robinson
    central Neb
    Posts: 3914
    #894943

    Fat free shads, Chris? Hmmm….never heard of em….

    kdb
    Posts: 89
    #895001

    Ben,
    those are some outstanding photos!

    While nothing can top that fish, I do have to send a huge bunch of appreciation to you for a: having prepared/thought through how you’d handle it…b: doing absolutely everything possible to get that big beast back to doing what it does best: eat and pro-create!

    That flatheads are some of the most beautiful animals…and it takes photos like your’s to show folks that…

    Congrats on a real trophy! for being prepared…and most of all, for sharing the whole thing with us!

    Wow! Dude!

    sharkbait
    The mud puddle in western Ks
    Posts: 347
    #895138

    Brian it wasnt long ago that you hadnt heard of em..Something about what the hell bass lures for walleye????
    And oh ya the catfish like em..

    whitetips2
    Posts: 100
    #895373

    Quote:


    WOW

    How many shad a day do you suppose that thing eats? Thanks for the story and photos.


    That flathead during the middle of the summer may be eating 5-7% of its body weight per day. Let’s see, that would be somewhere around 3.5-5 pounds of prey per day! I would guess a flathead of that size would be most likely to eat the largest prey it could find; it would take a darned lot of young-of-the-year shad to fill her up.

    Daryl Bauer
    Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
    Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
    [email protected]
    Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes

    whitetips2
    Posts: 100
    #895374

    Quote:


    So armchair biologists, what do you think? She miss the spawn? Not spawning this year? Or he or she is just a plane old mutant.

    I should clarify the difference between 1 and 2. It’s possible she could still spawn yet this year, as we know, there isn’t a spawning switching where they all nest at once.


    I guess you could call me an “armchair” biologist. I am resting on the arm of my office chair where I work as a fisheries biologist.

    Who said anything about that fish missing the spawn? I suppose it is possible, but without an examination, perhaps cutting it open, there is no telling for sure whether that fish was still carrying eggs. I would tend to doubt that she was; I would believe that she spawned a few weeks ago now and is already that fat again!

    Daryl Bauer
    Fisheries Outreach Program Manager
    Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
    [email protected]
    Bauer’s Barbs and Backlashes

    UpNortSticker
    Posts: 2
    #896232

    Very nice catch. My biggests catfish so far while trolling for walleye on crankbaits is this flathead around 30 lbs.
    Cheers
    Kelly

    Brian Robinson
    central Neb
    Posts: 3914
    #896242

    Thanks for the answers, Daryl. That’s some good info.

    We had another nice fish on in the canal Tues night. I’m guessing it was a flatty, but we’ll never know. Pretty aggravating when you lose em!

    Nice fish Kelly!

    wade_kuehl
    Northwest Iowa
    Posts: 6167
    #896430

    Awesome Kitty, Ben! Thanks for sharing the pics and story!

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