This must have been crazy to reel in. Jake Robinson of Shakopee was recently fishing in the Minnesota River near Savage when he caught a real whopper. Check this out:

Credit: Minnesota DNR
Credit: Minnesota DNR
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That’s a 49-inch-long flathead catfish with a girth of 33.5 inches that was caught using a 100-ound test line. Wow. According to the Minnesota DNR, Jake ended up tying his own catch and release record with this monster.

So how does one set an official record? I reached out to the DNR, and they got back to me with this:

We’ve had a rash of application with multiple species in both the weighted and catch & release divisions.  12 inquires in the last 5 weeks with 6 verified new state records (golden redhorse at 4 lbs. 7 oz., a shortnose gar at 5 lbs. 4 oz., two 70” lake sturgeons and two 49”  flathead catfish, . Another flathead was caught on the same day a hundred miles up the Minnesota, but he was fishing alone (you have to have a witness for the catch & release record)…..so Jake tied his own record.

Some of the reason for not being able to verify the other 7 inquiries are:

  • No witness
  • No complete photo of a catch & released fish with a ruler (just the head and tail were photo’d)
  • Fish was fought by two anglers (must be just one, but assistance can be used when landing the fish)
  • Miss identified species

o   Rock bass was actually a smallie

o   A quillback carpsucker was actually a smallmouth buffalo

o   Pumpkinseed was actually a bluegill

 So good photos with a ruler and a witness are crucial for the catch and release record.

There ya go. If you want to set a record like Jake, make sure you bring a fishing buddy (and a ruler - probably a big one) with you.

Credit: Minnesota DNR
Credit: Minnesota DNR
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