# "Giant" catfish caught at Portage!!!



## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

While fishing a bass tournament today at Portage, a contestant brought in a 57lb11oz flathead. :B It reportedly hit a jerkbait and he was using 10lb test. I'm sorry I don't have his name as I'm giving this report second hand from fellow club members who called me at work, but I will as more details are learned. Park and watercraft officers were on hand and a special scale was brought in to weigh the incredible catch. I understand lots of photos were taken and I'm hoping to locate someone to get it on here. So ya see, you just never know what you might catch. Anyone who was there and may be able to help with this thread, please do.

The fellows name who caught the cat is Keith Baker.


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## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

Keith Baker caught it!!:B


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

WOW! That's a monster! Would sure eat the 16 inch crappie my buddy caught for lunch!


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## lucky1 (Jun 6, 2007)

Was the fish released?


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## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

I keep gettin calls from guys in my club and more details are arriving. Yes it was released. It was caught in East Res. It stayed in our aeration tank (150 gal) for several hours and was held till after the weigh in so the other contestants could see it!


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## lucky1 (Jun 6, 2007)

That's awesome. Congrats to whoever caught it and kudos to all involved in keeping the fish alive and releasing it.


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## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

I edited my first post. Keith Baker caught it. Portage Lakes Bass Masters hosted event using Lakes Trail equipment. Kudos to the club for setting up the big tank!


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Kudos to the club for setting up the big tank![/QUOTE said:


> I second that! Someone was thinking and gave everyone an opportunity to see a rare catch. Great job!!!


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## bassin420 (Apr 30, 2004)

Man I hope you guys get a pic up! I would love to see that beast! I was at Long Lake the other day and had a big channel cat hit my spinnerbait while bass fishing! Thought I had the bass of a lifetime for about a minute but once the fight wore on I knew it was no bass. Me and my wifes uncle were talking afterwards about how aggressive those cats will get in the spring and how they will hit bass lures. Check out my spinnerbait hanging in my pic, that cat thought he had a meal till I dropped the hammer on him.


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## Deerehunter03 (Sep 7, 2006)

that would be nice to see some pics


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Dang Bassin, that things all muscle! I'll bet he did scrap pretty well.


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## lucky jerk (Apr 28, 2008)

Unofficial state record!! IGFC current Record is 32 lbs. 3. oz on 8-12 lb test, and 34 lbs 10 oz on 20 lb test


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## gregshoh (Sep 11, 2007)

Anyone no if they are trying to keep this hush hush..........I have searched every local newspaper and everywhere online and can't find any info about this catch anywhere.........Could they be waiting before the release info because it might be a record? Just curious. Looking forward to hearing more about this catch.............


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## shake n bake (Apr 22, 2004)

Here's a pic. I was told he caught it in Long lake.


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## lucky jerk (Apr 28, 2008)

Thanks for posting a picture for me! I was still trying to figure out how to do it.

Here is the whole story. I actually caught the fish in East Reservoir. I was
fishing the Portage Lakes kids benefit tournament on Sat 4/26, throwing a jerkbait on 10-pound test line when I hooked into this monster. Took 45 minutes before I even saw what I had on my line, and another half hour on top of that of fighting him before I finally got him in my boat. The guys running the tournament very kindly brought the big tub in for me, so I could keep him safe until the end of the tournament. He was weighed & documented, took lots of pictures, and then we released him. Hopefully he will still be swimming around there when my grandkids are fishing, many years from now! 

It'll take 60 days to make it official, but from what I've been told, it's a state record for IGFA once they test my line & process the information. Doesn't really matter, it was still awesome & I am just glad I got a picture! 

Keith Baker
"lucky jerk"


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## crooked stripe (Apr 17, 2004)

Interview and story on channel 5:00 at 5. I hope some of you get to see it.


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## sam kegg (Jun 23, 2007)

congrats!!!!!!! glad you put the moster back in,, a fish that big deserves to be put back in


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Wow! Thanks for the story and pic. It's nice to finally see this beast. Congrats to you my man! A memory that will certainly last a lifetime. Again, way to go guys for the way you handled this by setting up the tank and making this a great event for everyone involved.


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## Sir Dude (Apr 18, 2008)

Congrats!!! Awesome fish.


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## Muskyman (Jan 30, 2005)

Congrats! Nice Fish! I'm glad you released it.


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## tmerk (Aug 22, 2007)

That's an unbelievable catch. Congratulations! Good fishing.


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## mikie_fin (Jun 25, 2004)

Here is the article from WEWS news in Cleveland.

Local Man Reels In 57-Pound Catfish

POSTED: 4:09 pm EDT April 28, 2008
UPDATED: 6:15 pm EDT April 28, 2008


CLEVELAND -- A local fisherman reeled in the big one during a fishing outing this weekend.

There's an old saying that either all fishermen are liars or only liars go fishing, but in this instance, Hartville's Keith Baker is telling a true fish tale.

"All of a sudden he hit and it just -- the line stripped out about 15 feet and I was pretty excited, and I thought, 'This is the one,'" Baker said.

Baker was fishing on Portage Lakes, hoping for a five-pound bass. What he caught was no bass, though. It was bigger than any of his children, who will hear the fish tale for the rest of their lives.

"Finally he slowed down and stopped and I go to lift him and I couldn't lift him. It was like I was snagged on the bottom and I told myself, 'I'm hooked up,' and all of a sudden he'd swim away again," Baker said. "I mean, my rod was bent all the way over."

Baker said, "About an hour and fifteen minutes later, I got it up. I still didn't know what it was but I got his tail splashing out of the water and I got my net down as far in the water as I threw him up over my shoulder, threw his tail up over my shoulder and he just fell in the boat."

The fish is more than 4 feet long and nearly 3 feet around. It's a 57-pound flathead catfish.

"I'm definitely will have the biggest fish ever caught out of here, I think for awhile, until somebody catches him again," Baker said.

Baker let the fish go, and said he hopes one of his kids will catch it again some day and have their own tale to tell.

The state record for freshwater catfish is nearly 5 feet long and 76 pounds.

Copyright 2008 by NewsNet5. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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## rebu (Aug 11, 2007)

CONGRATULATIONS on the catch of a lifetime, and THANKS to you and to all involved for caring for and releasing that oldtimer. Like the others that wrote before me, I share in the belief that something special as this should not be killed.


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## bassin420 (Apr 30, 2004)

Nice Catch! I know you were surprised when that fish hit!


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## head shot (Mar 15, 2008)

Nice catch!
Reminds me of that fish they were trying to catch in the movie "Grumpy Old Men"... only yours was even bigger!!!


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Beats the hell outta catching bass


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## esox62 (May 19, 2006)

hey lucky..congrats !!! what a great catch. beautiful...!


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Awesome. Simply awesome. This is what keeps me fishing. The unknown, the ability to constantly be surprised, by both myself and the fish. Truly a catch of a lifetime. Congrats Keith Baker, and I truly admire you for releasing that giant. That fish is probably (definately) older than I am (23).


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## Buick Riviera (Jul 15, 2007)

Congratulations and let me add my kudos for your live release. What a neat story!

Buick


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## [OSF]smoke (Jun 1, 2007)

Congrats nice fish


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## mirrocraft mike (Mar 17, 2006)

Congrats :B That had to get the blood pumping. I agree with the others Hats off to you for the release.


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## crptnstlr (Apr 10, 2008)

thats a nice cat what was the weight on that?


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## tkbiker (Jul 30, 2004)

Congrats on the catch thats one big monster!!


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## seanb19 (Aug 10, 2007)

Good Job with the release. Man I can't wait to catch a fish like that!!


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

I called him up to do a story for WKYC but there was no answer.


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## Brian.Smith (May 18, 2006)

Way to go, great catch and release.


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## baker1 (Sep 4, 2007)

wow !!! great fish. thats the kind of fish legends are made of....


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

baker1 said:


> wow !!! great fish. thats the kind of fish legends are made of....


Reminds me of a Simpsons episode where Homer lands a catfish like this. 30 years from now the legend of Keith Baker will still be going strong and the story will get bigger every year. 
"He was a giant of a man with a fire in his eyes that glowed brighter than the deepest pits of hell" LOL!!! You my man are being talked about by so many people right now your nose won't stop itching for a month!


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## Raines1208 (Jan 6, 2008)

Please someone find out what kind of line that was I may be switching. Congrats kieth


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## lucky jerk (Apr 28, 2008)

This is really a great website! I never knew about it before - didn't know what I was missing. I appreciate everyone's congratulations... this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I was interviewed by the Beacon Journal & the Suburbanite so there might be articles in those papers later this week. 



Big Daddy said:


> I called him up to do a story for WKYC but there was no answer.


Carl, I wasn't sure how to contact you directly, but if you called I never got a message on my cell phone, so I don't know what happened. Sorry, I wasn't ignoring you. 

Anyway, thanks everyone for running a great website. This is really cool to have a way to support & hear about local fishermen.


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## crappie killer (Apr 15, 2008)

whats up ruben this is steve i just seen your bass nice my name is crappie killer chat with u later


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

I still have your cell number... I'll try again later today. I can put the story on the WKYC Outdoors website... I'll push hard to get it on the news too.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Thanks to you and the tourney directors for taking good care of it and for releasing it. 

Congrats on a ncie catch. 

So.... are you going to be trading in your bass boat for a Deep V or a Extra Wide Jon style and start fishing some Cat tourneys with us now?


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## truck (Apr 12, 2004)

Congrats on a great fish.If more bass fisherman caught a cat like that they might start fishing for them instead


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Welcome to OGF Lucky Jerk! (I almost feel bad saying that but it is your name) Your entrance on here sure started out with a bang now didn't it? I believe my first post started off something like:
"where can I get worms around Delaware?"
Now look at your first post again. See the contrast? Way to kick the door down on our little club here! This site is great! You'll love it!


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## fireman2028 (Mar 24, 2008)

Hey congratulations on an amazing catch


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## OldSchool (Oct 18, 2006)

Let me add my name to a long list of congratulations.
You had an outstanding battle landing that cat and an class move in photographing and releasing that record book fish.
Well done.


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## slimdaddy45 (Aug 27, 2007)

nice catch i also caught a big one on 10 lb test line it weighed 56 1/2 lbs 46 1/2 in long caught it out of the hocking river the line was trilene xl 1 1/2 hours to land him a few years back


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Congratulations on the big fish.

Landing one on light tackle says a lot for your tackle maintenance, fish fighting skill, and patience.

Some folks are already familiar with big cats power but it seems many also are new to the massive fish.


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## back-in-the-game (May 1, 2008)

Wow, great catch. I would have sh*t a brick trying to land that thing.


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## lucky jerk (Apr 28, 2008)

Well, the article appeared in the Beacon Journal today. Oh man, I am going to get rode hard for the next ten years about that comment that men were running away like little girls when they saw the cat! I was joking when I said it but it made it sound like I was serious. Oh well, I guess I can take the abuse. I told the reporter I was just a "jerk" on one end of the line waiting for a "jerk" on the other end.... guess now I just sound like a jerk!

This is all such a crazy experience. I am actually pretty embarrassed about all of the attention. I need to go fishing to relax.


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## Mud Puppy (May 25, 2006)

Awesome catch and thanks for releasing the old beast for others. How old do you think the fish was? 30 years old? Everyone should follow his sportsmanship.


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## eastreservoir (May 3, 2008)

Great job. What area of East Reservoir was this found? We live on the shores of East Reservoir and my kids swim in East all summer. I told my 11 year old, "I wonder where its mother lives?" My daughter may never swim again in the lakes. We live near the clock tower. That thing probably watched us swim at some time. Kind of makes you wonder what else is out there. We've seen some really big dead carp in East before, but nothing that big. Congratz on landing a sea monster


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## topwaterdevil (May 23, 2007)

Story: 
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18542089.html?page=all&c=y


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

Nice catch! Here is the picture.


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## eastreservoir (May 3, 2008)

Now since a giant flathead catfish has been caught with a pole, is noodling headed for Portage Lakes? lol

From Wikipedia, under the Noodling entry: "Noodling is the practice and sport of fishing for flathead catfish using only one's bare hands. Catfisting, grabbling, graveling, hogging, dogging, tickling, and stumping are all possible names used in different regions for the same activity. Five U.S. states have laws explicitly permitting handfishing: Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kansas..."

"Although the concept, catching fish with only the use of the arm in the water, is simple enough, the process of noodling is more complicated. The choice of catfish as the prey is not arbitrary, but comes from the circumstances of their habitat. Flathead catfish live in holes or under brush in rivers and lakes and thus are easy to capture due to the static nature of their dwelling. To begin, a noodler goes underwater to depths ranging from only a few feet to up to twenty feet, placing his hand inside a discovered catfish hole. If all goes as planned, the catfish will swim forward and latch onto the fisherman's hand, usually as a defensive maneuver in order to try to escape the hole. If the fish is particularly large, the noodler can hook the head around its gills....Even so, losing fingers is a real risk, whether from the bite or infection...The largest danger posed to noodlers are other forms of aquatic life found in catfish holes. Far more dangerous than catfish are alligators, snakes, beavers and snapping turtles, who will take over abandoned catfish holes as homes of their own. These animals are always on the mind of experienced noodlers..."


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## CatmanOne (May 16, 2007)

Lucky Jerk,

I am glad you caught this fish. Many others, my self included may not have put her back. So maybe it is Karma that it was you that caught her.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

CatmanOne said:


> L Many others, my self included may not have put her back.


Not much more you could have done w/ a Flattie that size.


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## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

Many "Thanks" to all who contributed to this thread. I started with minimal information and no pics, but Thanks to all of you, we have much more info, pics, and a new OGF'er! I know some hard work and research went into this by a few. Again Thanks and congratulations on the catch of a lifetime!


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## Baitkiller (Sep 1, 2004)

:B 

*Congrats Lucky!!*

Yes Ohio's top predator fish will eat them 8 lb Bass. They only live 15-20 yrs most of the time so that one will not be out there that long.

Kudos Again

*PS: A Yellow that size would b LOADED with MERCURY if one would think about eatting it*


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## HawgHunter (Apr 13, 2004)

> This is all such a crazy experience. I am actually pretty embarrassed about all of the attention. I need to go fishing to relax.


Thats what got you all the attention in the first place

Scott


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