# The record has fallen.



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

64.8 pounds


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

Cool!!


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Did you do it Cat?
If so, Congratulations.


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## NKlamerus (Jan 4, 2016)

Congrats!! Pics?!?


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Stop teasing us. Give us the scoop.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

probably waiting for the official certification.


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## OHenry (Apr 28, 2011)

Congrats! Let's see her.


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## stc1993 (Nov 23, 2014)

We got to see some pictures. The old PFF saying no pictures it didn't happen. J/K


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

This is the pic from FB, no details...


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## DAWGONIT (Jan 16, 2009)

Holy Moly!
Congrats!!


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Fish fry!!!


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## Cap'n Crunch (Feb 22, 2016)

Nice!


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I would hate for that one to slap me in the jellybeans!


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Try'n Hard said:


> I would hate for that one to slap me in the jellybeans!


Looks like he's been bean-slapped before, notice he's holding the fish so it can't swing that way...


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

What river was it caught in?


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

I read some online article about it that said the Chattahoochee, also said the fish weighted 68lbs.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

jcoss15 said:


> I read some online article about it that said the Chattahoochee, also said the fish weighted 68lbs.




68 or 60?


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## Rjw615 (May 26, 2008)

Email from FWC said 68.80


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

Nice going. :thumbup:


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Caught 5/15/16 ChattahoocheeRiver so it says.

http://www.myfwc.com/media/3801270/FishingRecordFlatheadCatfish.png


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## NKlamerus (Jan 4, 2016)

fishwalton said:


> Caught 5/15/16 ChattahoocheeRiver so it says.
> 
> http://www.myfwc.com/media/3801270/FishingRecordFlatheadCatfish.png


Dang!!! Thats awesome. He will fish for life too!


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## stc1993 (Nov 23, 2014)

A heck of a good fishing tale. Won't nobody believe that without the certificate.

Charles Patchen (13) from Alabama caught a 63.8-pound flathead catfish on the Chattahoochee River in Jackson County at 2:30 p.m. on May 15. He beat the previous certified state record by more than eight pounds.

Patchen had reluctantly agreed to go bream fishing Sunday afternoon with his mother and stepfather, Jeanette and Bryan Atwell. After landing his state-record flathead catfish, he was certainly glad he went!

When the bream suddenly stopped biting after a successful morning, Patchen’s stepfather suggested there might be a larger fish lurking in the water scaring off the bream. So they switched from baiting with minnows to a bluegill they had caught. After the second time his bait was hit, Patchen set the hook. He assumed it was hung up on something underwater, so he asked his stepfather for help.

“I grabbed the pole from him, gave it a couple tugs and the fish took off,” said Atwell. “I handed the pole back to Charles and said, ‘GET ‘EM!’”

Patchen fought the catfish hooked on his Zebco 33 with 14-pound test line for nearly two hours while Atwell guided their boat with his trolling motor, following the fish in hopes of tiring it out. The monster flathead catfish eventually gave up the fight and Patchen reeled it in. After the fish flipped over, Atwell had to roll it into their boat because it was too large for their net.

“I was so tired after reeling it in that I fell back into the boat to rest,” said Patchen, the newly awarded state-record holder for flathead catfish. “But I’m glad my mom made me go fishing that day because now I am the catfish master!”

Atwell is well versed in Florida outdoor recreation and conservation, as his father Grady Atwell was a longtime Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission conservation officer. He was quick to point out that he is passing on the tradition, stating, “All I can say is carry a kid fishing.”

FWC Biologist Katie Woodside met with the self-titled ‘catfish master’ and his family the next day to get an official certified weight and measurements and to have the application notarized. The official measurements were 48.03 inches in total length, with a girth of 35.43 inches.

“Charles’ flathead catfish is a great catch to add to our state records — and caught on a 14-pound test line, by a 13-year-old at that! Just one more reason why Florida is the ‘Fishing Capital of the World,’” said Tom Champeau, director of the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management.

The previous certified state record flathead catfish weighed 55.05 pounds and was caught on the Yellow River by James Auston Jr. in 2011.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Geez! That's exactly the dream I have. Then wake up and go to work


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

I guess I need to get rid of all that heavy duty gear I have and get me a Zebco 33.


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