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Jim Dieveney with his record Flathead
Catfish |
Wayne County angler Jim Dieveney of Screven caught a flathead
catfish on the Altamaha River on July 11, 2010 that ties the current
state record flathead catfish! Dieveney reeled in an 83 lb. 0 oz.,
52.5-inch flathead catfish, according to the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. The most recent
state record for a flathead catfish also was caught on the
Altamaha River (and also by a Screven resident) in 2006.
“Congratulations to Jim Dieveney on this fabulous catch,” says
Division Fisheries Management Chief John Biagi. “Georgia’s
tremendous natural resources continue to yield great catches to
anglers and this is no exception. I hope that this catch will
inspire other anglers and would-be anglers to get out there and go
fish!”
Flathead
catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also known as appaloosa cats, are
one of several types of catfish found in Georgia. The list also
includes channel catfish, blue catfish, white catfish and yellow and
brown bullheads. Flathead catfish, as one might expect, have a head
that appears “flattened,” they are a yellowish color mottled with
brown and green and their lower jaw extends beyond the upper jaw.
They have an unforked tail and very small eyes and as with other
catfish species, they also can be identified by their lack of scales
and the “cat-like” barbels on their mouths that look like cat
whiskers. They can reach a weight up to 125 lb., although less than
30 lb. is typical for Georgia. They like deep, murky pools with some
current and rocky, rubble-bottom areas with holes. The best bet for
catching a flathead is by using live bait, such as minnows, chubs,
crayfish or sunfish. Check out the other
Georgia Fishing Records |
