Record catfish caught on St. Joe

   Fishing the St. Joseph River in Berrien County, Rodney Akey from Niles was in for a surprise. At about 8p.m. on May 22 he caught a flathead catfish that weighed 49.8 pounds and was 45.7 inches in length.
Caught by Rodney Akey of Niles, Mich., on Tuesday, May 22, on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County at 8 p.m., the fish weighed 49.8 pounds and measured 45.7 inches.
   Akey was still-fishing from shore with an alewife when he landed the record fish. The previous state record flathead catfish was caught by Elmer Rayner of Hastings, Mich., on the Maple River in Ionia County on Aug. 6, 1943. That fish weighed in at 47.5 pounds and measured 44 inches.
   “I’ve been fishing catfish on the St. Joseph River for the last 20 years, but it never crossed my mind that I would catch a state record,” said Akey. “And beating a nearly 70-year record – that’s a feat in itself!”
   State records are recognized by weight only. To qualify for a state record, fish must exceed the current listed state record weight, and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.
   For more information about record-breaking fish caught in Michigan, visit www.michigan.gov/masterangler.