Mike Wherley, of Fayetteville, Penn. caught what should be the new state record flathead catfish below the Safe Harbor Dam on the Susquehanna River around 10:30 a.m on May 18, 2023. He caught the giant flathead using a live 12-inch trout. Wherley’s fish weighed 66 pounds, 6.4 ounces on the scales at Columbia Bait and Tackle
“I have a scale that goes to 50 pounds, and this one went right past that, so I thought I might have a state record fish,” Wherley said.
Matt Musselman, owner of Columbia Bait and Tackle. “I knew it was the record as soon as I saw it,” Musselman said.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is certify the catch is legit now so if they uphold it, then the giant flathead catfish would beat the previous state record 56 pounds, 3 ounces by more than 10 pounds. The previous state record was caught in 2020. That fish was caught by Jonathan Pierce of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River.
