Pierre, SD - A Tabor man has a whopper of a fish tale to tell. Unlike
most fish tales, he also has a new state record as proof.
Davin Holland was using the largest piece of cutbait he had when he
caught the new state record
flathead catfish on June 18th in the
James River. The fish, was 63.5 pounds, was 47 inches long and had a
girth of 30 inches. Holland’s fish eclipsed Roger Adams three year
old record fish by three pounds.
Conservation Officer Sam Schelhaas was called out to verify the fish
late on the 18th. "Fisheries biologist Sam Stukel was with me and
when we got out to Davin and his cousin, we immediately transferred
the fish to a large tank with an aerator," said Schelhaas. "We kept
it alive overnight and took it to Yaggies Elevator in Yankton on
Monday morning because we couldn’t find a scale big enough."
At this time, the fish is alive at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service aquariums, where they will attempt to keep the fish for
display.
If you believe a fish qualifies for a state record, a State Record
fish form must be filled out. This form can be obtained from a Game,
Fish and Parks office or the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info.
A potential state record fish should be cared for in the following
manner:
Keep the fish cool, preferably on ice.
Weigh the fish on a state-certified scale (found in grocery,
hardware and some bait shops) with a witness present.
Take the fish to a GFP Division of Wildlife office for positive
identification and State Record fish form.
Fish weighed on a certified scale and identified by the GFP may be
released.
