Angler Reels In MD Record Setting 57-Pound Flathead Catfish

MARYLAND — A 34-year-old angler nabbed the state's largest invasive flathead catfish. Joshua Dixon caught the 57-pound, 50-inch long flathead catfish Dec. 27 while fishing near the Lapidum Boat Ramp on the Susquehanna River.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Dixon was using Zoom plastic swimbait. It took him almost 30 minutes to wrestle the fish to shore, he said. Dixon was using medium-weight spinning tackle, which added to the intensity and length of the battle, the DNR noted.

“It was really weird because I thought I snagged a tree,” Dixon said. “It didn’t feel like a fish but after a while, it was going crazy.”

Dixon’s record-breaking catch surpassed the state’s minimum flathead catfish weight of 40 pounds. The flathead catfish’s weight was officially certified by Jack Manning of Keen Compressed Gas in Elkton. A Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist confirmed the catch. Dixon donated his record-breaking catch to friends who harvested the fish.