HOLT, Fla. (WSVN) — A fishing expedition led to a record catch for a North Florida angler who reeled in the biggest flathead catfish ever caught in the state.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Lavon Nowling made the big catch in Santa Rosa County’s Yellow River using a rod and reel, along with live bait.
Nowling told FOX 13 that the size of the catfish came as a big surprise.
“I’ve caught some good ones before this fish, but none of them were more than 54 pounds,” Nowling said. “I’ve been fishing since I was old enough to hold a pole and have been fishing on Yellow River as long as I can remember.”
Nowling brought the catfish to a local FWC facility, where biologists weighed it and confirmed that at 69.9 pounds, the fisherman set a new record.
The last state-record flathead catfish was caught in 2019 on the same river and weighed 69.3 pounds.
Nowling’s catch was 48.5 inches long and 38.25 inches wide.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” Nowling said.
An FWC press release explained that flathead catfish are a nonnative fish found in many northwest Florida river systems. Their solitary lifestyle makes them more difficult to catch than other catfish.
“A state record catch is a once in a lifetime achievement for an angler,” said Jon Fury, FWC’s director for the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management. “We are pleased to award this state record to Mr. Nowling.”
To certify a new freshwater Florida state record, an FWC employee must witness its weighing on a certified scale, and a biologist must identify the species.
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