Michigan flathead catfish record?

[kat buster]

Does any body know what the Michigan Flathead record is. My dad's friend caught a 40 pounder a couple of days ago.:ooooh:

[teaysvalleyguy]

Elmer Rayner 47 lb. 8 oz. 44 1943 Maple River Ionia

Here ya go hoss.

[bwanatony]

Does any body know what the Michigan Flathead record is. My dad's friend caught a 40 pounder a couple of days ago.:ooooh:

Nice catch!
40's aren't very common, was it from the Grand, or the St. Joe?
Tony

[jspiel]

and just as important as where did he catch it.........DID HE RELEASE IT?????

[bwanatony]

and just as important as where did he catch it.........DID HE RELEASE IT?????

Yeah, really! That fish must be near 25 years old. If he released it, maybe it WOULD be a new record in 4 or 5 years! If not, its just dead meat.

[bwanatony]

This post got me thinking, so I did a little research.
According to Fishing for Catfish by Keith Sutton,
in the "North" part of their range, here's how the ages, weights, and lengths stack up:

Age / Weight # / Length "
15 / 30 / 40
13 / 22 / 37
11 / 20 / 35
9 / 8-9 / 28

This matches up real well with the cats I've caught since I bought a quality scale. My records show a 42"/32#, and a 37"/21# among others.
SO...
the next state record flat should be about 48" long, and be better than 22 years old, and a 40 pounder would be about 45-46" long and be 18 or 19 years old.
Who wants to go to Kentucky & fish with me next spring?

[bwanatony]

SO...
the next state record flat should be about 48" long, and be better than 22 years old, and a 40 pounder would be about 45-46" long and be 18 or 19 years old.


New SD record is 63 1/2# & 47". I guess they start getting wider once they get that long...

[kat buster]

he caught it out of the St. Joe using fresh blue gill I think he might have let him go but I am not sure:lol: