While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, an angler from Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record fish.



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"DNR News"



July 21, 2025
Contact: Caitlin Boon <[email protected]>, 517-449-1180 or John Buszkiewicz <[email protected]>, 248-296-2498

New state-record flathead catfish weighs in above 64 pounds

Codie Carlson was bowfishing Plum Creek on Sunday, June 29, when he brought in a new state-record flathead catfish.

While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, an angler from Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record fish: a flathead catfish weighing in at 64.46 pounds and measuring 45 inches!

Codie Carlson was bowfishing Plum Creek in the early-morning hours of Sunday, June 29, when he brought in the record-breaker.

This fish beats the previous state-record flathead catfish — 53.35 pounds, 43 inches — caught in 2022 by Lloyd Tanner, of Hobart, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County.



While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, Codie Carlson of Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record flathead catfish.

DNR fisheries biologist John Buszkiewicz, who works out of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Lake Erie Fisheries Management Unit, verified Carlson’s new state-record fish. Buszkiewicz and his crew may have even caught this exact fish during a survey in the same location in 2020; at the time, the fish caught weighed 55 pounds and measured 43 inches.

Carlson, a self-described "true fishoholic," said, "I thought I was about to shoot a channel catfish for dinner. Turns out, I guess we do have flathead catfish in these waters."

About state-record fish

Michigan's state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight and be weighed on a certified commercial scale, and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.

To view a current list of Michigan state-record fish by species, visit Michigan.gov/StateRecordFish [ [link removed] ].

Inspired to plan your next fishing adventure? Visit Michigan.gov/Fishing [ [link removed] ].



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*Note to editors:* Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.


* Catfish 1 [ [link removed] ]: Codie Carlson was bowfishing Plum Creek in the early-morning hours of Sunday, June 29, when he brought in a new state-record flathead catfish weighing 64.46 pounds.
* Catfish 2 [ [link removed] ]: While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, Codie Carlson of Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record flathead catfish.

 

 


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