Congratulations to Jared Holt of Homedale for catching a new state catch-and-release record for flathead catfish from the Snake River in Owyhee County. Holt hauled up the behemoth catfish on July 9 on the Snake River. The fish measured 43 inches long, just an inch longer than the previous record-holding fish caught by none other than Holt himself back in 2020. 

Idaho has several species of catfish, the most common of which are channel catfish, brown bullhead and black bullhead. While these species are commonly found across Idaho, flathead catfish are found only in the Snake River, mostly in Brownlee Reservoir and upstream of it.

Brownlee Reservoir produced the largest certified-weight record flathead catfish in 1994 that weighed in at 58.5 pounds (48 inches long). Flathead catfish are predators of other smaller fish, often hunting at night. Catch-and-release records began in 2016 and are based on total length of the fish. The program has become popular with anglers and allows anglers to be recognized for landing trophy fish without having to harvest them. 

Learn more about catch/release and certified weight state records.