Hoosier pulls in record 53.35 pound flathead catfish from St. Joe River in Michigan

Lloyd Tanner with his record-setting flathead catfish. Photo courtesy Michigan Department of Natural Resources

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- A Hoosier caught a new state-record flathead catfish weighing 53.35 pounds from the St. Joseph River in Berrien County, Michigan.

The 53.35 pound fish was 48-inches long.

Lloyd Tanner reeled in the record breaking fish on May 29.

The previous record holding fish weighed 52 pounds and was 46.02 inches long. It was caught by Dale Blakley of Niles in 2014.

"I've been fishing Michigan for almost 30 years," Tanner said. "What draws me to Michigan is fishing for big catfish."

Tanner said that he usually fishes every weekend with friends in the Michigan Catfish Anglers Trail, or MCATS, an amateur fishing club.

"We have several fun tournaments that anyone who enjoys fishing for catfish can come out and fish," he said.

Michigan's state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight, 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.


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