CPW: La Junta man’s big catch crushes Colorado flathead catfish record
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says a La Junta man’s record breaking catch weighed nearly double that of the previous record setter.
Tony Chavez pulled the monster flathead catfish from the stilling basin below John Martin Reservoir on January 19, 2015.
Chavez said he lured his new record-setting 39 9/16 inch, 27 pound 3.68 ounce flathead catfish with chicken livers. The previous record holder was a fish from Pueblo Reservoir that weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces and was 32 2/8 inches long.
CPW says Flathead catfish were stocked at John Martin sporadically from 1994 until 2009. These fish were acquired from the state of Arkansas through special trades. Although no flathead catfish have been stocked since 2009, populations of these fish continue to be evident and appear to be self-sustaining.
Flathead catfish have tremendous growth potential. Fish weighing well over 50 pounds are common in the midwestern states. The angling world record for flathead catfish is more than 120 pounds. CPW aquatic staff have sampled several large flatheads at John Martin in recent years, so this record may be broken again in the near future.
“We are really excited for Tony and for John Martin Reservoir,” said, Jim Ramsay, CPW Aquatic Biologist. “It is gratifying to see a fish of this size caught in southeastern Colorado. This fish was taken from the stilling basin below John Martin Dam which means the fish escaped from the main reservoir during water releases.” Ramsay added that many more flatheads could be available to catch in this area. The best opportunity to catch flatheads is in the main lake, Ramsay said. These fish can be found along the dam and the rocky points of the north and south shorelines.
