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Channel catfish record smashed!
Just about everyday in Oklahoma someone, somewhere is fishing for catfish,
but not once in the last 28 years has anyone caught a channel catfish over 30
pounds. That changed the morning of May 16 when
Barry Bond of Clinton reeled in a monster 34-pound, 11- ounce
channel catfish.
Bond was fishing from a boat during the annual Canton Walleye Rodeo on Canton
Lake when he hooked the huge fish using spinning tackle and 30 pound test
line. He used a sunfish for bait and was fishing for walleye when the record
fish hit.
"We were on the upper end of the lake and when it hit, it hit pretty hard,"
Bond said. "After I set the hook, it got real stiff, like I just had a log or
a turtle."
It wasn't until the dark fish came to the surface that Bond realized what he
had hooked.
"I was pretty excited when I saw how big it was. It really took off after
that, but I finally got it into the boat," Bond said.
The huge fish measured 34 1/4 inches long and 25 inches in girth. It was
weighed on certified scales at the Canton Post Office and was verified by
John Stahl, northwest region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife
Department.
The previous channel catfish record of 30 pounds was caught by Richard
Simmons in the Washita River in 1974.
Bond has donated the fish to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
and the Oklahoma Aquarium and the fish will be housed and available for
public display at the Aquarium, which is scheduled to open this fall in
Jenks. According to Bo Dempsey, fisheries biologist for the Oklahoma
Aquarium, the fish is eating and remains in good health. It will be one of
the largest captive channel catfish in the nation.
For a complete list of record fish and the procedures regarding state record
fish consult the “2002 Oklahoma Fishing Guide.” If you think you may have
hooked a record fish it is important that you weigh the fish on a Oklahoma
State Department of Agriculture certified scale and the weight is verified by
a Wildlife Department employee.
For the complete story about the new record channel catfish and information
on other state record fish, log on to
www.wildlifedepartment.com
Who: Barry Bond of Clinton, OK
What: new record Channel Catfish, 34 pounds 11 ounces, broke the previous
record of 30 pounds set in 1974.
When: Thursday, May 16, 2002
Where: Caught from Canton Lake during the 35th annual Canton Walleye Rodeo.
The fish will be housed and available for public display at the Aquarium,
which is scheduled to open this fall in Jenks (for more information contact
the Aquarium at (918) 296-3474).
How: The record fish was caught from a boat using a rod and reel with a
sunfish for bait.
Complete List of State Records |
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