Record Flathead Catfish
Milton resident Eric Auston Jr. briefly held Florida’s rod-and-reel flathead catfish record after landing a fish weighing slightly more than 55 pounds from the Yellow River. The catch remains a notable part of Florida catfishing history, although a larger Yellow River flathead later replaced it as the state record.
Auston, 33, was fishing Oct. 9 in the Yellow River with his good friend, Brandy Wallace, when he caught a record flathead catfish weighing slightly more than 55 pounds. He used a rod and reel with a 25-pound-test line and small bluegill as bait, according to a news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
At the time, his fish exceeded the previous Florida flathead record of 49.39 pounds, caught in the Apalachicola River in 2004. Auston said he fishes for flatheads only a few times each year. Brandy’s biggest flathead prior to last weekend weighed 42 pounds, but that fish was caught on a bush hook.
Record recorded
Current record context: FWC now lists the Florida state-record flathead at 69.9 pounds, caught in the Yellow River by Lavon Nowling on August 26, 2020. Eric Auston Jr.’s 55-pound fish remains a historic former record from the same river system.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maintains freshwater state records and certified Auston’s catch as a state record at the time. Florida’s current flathead catfish state record is now 69.9 pounds, caught by Lavon Nowling from the Yellow River on August 26, 2020.
State record fish must be legally caught in Florida, identified to species by a fishery biologist, and weighed on a certified scale. Auston said he was especially grateful to the FWC for its efforts to get the fish certified.
Anglers can also participate in Florida’s Big Catch recognition program. Flathead catfish currently qualify at 36 inches or 25 pounds. For current records and certification rules, see the FWC freshwater state records and FWC angler recognition pages.
Flathead catfish are not native to the eastern United States. In the 1970s, they made their way to one southeastern state after another. First identified in the Apalachicola River in 1982, they are now found in every Panhandle river from the Ochlockonee River west to the Florida-Alabama line. They are significant predators and should be harvested when caught. There are no bag or size limits on flatheads in Florida, and they are good for eating.
The IGFA all-tackle world record remains 123 pounds, caught by Ken Paulie from Elk City Reservoir in Kansas on May 19, 1998. That fish measured 61 inches long. See the IGFA flathead catfish record for the current world-record listing.
