Oklahoma - State Record Flathead Catfish Caught at El Reno Lake
Oklahoma - State Record Flathead Catfish Caught at El Reno Lake
Admittedly, state record fish are sometimes caught by accident.
Occasionally fortune smiles on some lucky angler, like the fisherman who
recently caught a state record walleye while catfishing or the state
record smallmouth buffalo that was caught while the angler was fishing for
walleye last year.
However, more often than not, skilled and knowledgeable anglers catch
record fish. Ron “Barefoot” Cantrell of El Reno is the perfect example. He
now holds the state rod and line record for flathead catfish with a
72-pound, 8-ounce brute of a fish he caught from El Reno Lake.
“I’ve met a lot of catfishermen over the years and he is the best one I
know,” said Ron Comer, state game warden stationed in Canadian County. “It
doesn’t surprise me one bit he broke the record.”
Cantrell uses a refined technique of catfishing, which incorporates a
balloon that serves as both a bobber and a sail to drift his bait far from
shore to “where the big boys are.” Although conventional wisdom among
flathead anglers have long preached the use of live baits such as sunfish,
goldfish or shad, Cantrell prefers cut shad. He hooked the record fish on
a large gizzard shad head the evening of May 20 nearly 100 yards from
shore.
“As soon as I got a look at it I told my fishing buddy to get a tape
measure. He was sure enough a big one,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell certainly knows what a big flathead looks like. In October of
2002 Cantrell hooked a flathead that was just a few ounces shy of the
state record. After landing the big fish, it was several hours before the
fish was officially weighed and measured. Fish held on a stringer for long
periods tend to loose weight, however. Had he secured a big enough State
Department of Agriculture certified scale in the vicinity sooner, it’s
likely his 2002 fish could have topped the existing record of 71 pounds.
Just missing the mark by a few ounces didn’t deter the angler. Some 19
months and dozens of big flatheads later, Cantrell’s persistence and
unique angling skills finally paid off.
“I was personally happy for Barefoot to finally get the record after
getting so close before,“ said Comer. “He not only knows how to catch the
big ones, but he puts in a lot of days out there (at El Reno Lake)
throughout the year.”
The new state record fish measures 35 inches around and 51 1/4 inches in
length and was weighed on certified scales at Ross Seed Company in El
Reno.
A 72 and a half pound fish would have been enough excitement in one night
for most anglers, but not Cantrell.
“I couldn’t stop fishing when they were just starting to bite,” Cantrell
said.
That same night he caught two more flatheads weighing 45 and 68 pounds.
Anyone who catches a stringer of three fish that weigh 185 pounds is
either very lucky or very good. But none of them were keepers at least not
for Cantrell.
“I nearly always let them go so they can grow up a little. I only keep a
few to eat every year,” he said.
As for the new record flathead - it has been transported to the Oklahoma
Aquarium in Jenks. It is hoped that the fish will be on display in coming
weeks.
Barry Bolton, assistant fisheries chief for the Wildlife Department says
Cantrell’s release practice is commendable.
“It is great to hear that these big fish are going back into the lake,”
Bolton said. “After all, a 40-pound fish may be up to 30 years old, and a
60-pound fish may be up to 40 years old.”
The previous flathead record of 71 pounds was set by James Skipper who
pulled the catfish from Oologah Lake in May of 1998.
For a complete list of record fish and the procedures regarding certifying
state record fish, consult the “2004 Oklahoma Fishing Guide.” If you think
you may have hooked a record fish it is important that you weigh the fish
on an Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale and the
weight is verified by a Wildlife Department employee.
ODWC
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