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A flathead catfish caught in the Schuylkill River by Jonathan Pierce of Philadelphia set a new state record at 56.3 pounds.
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Fishing Report: We caught big catfish, but Phila. angler got the state record

Courtesy of Jonathan Pierce

Fishing Report: We caught big catfish, but Phila. angler got the state record

A 56.3-pound flathead catfish caught last week on the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia has broken the state record. Veteran flathead hunter Jonathan Pierce of Philadelphia hooked up with the monster from shore using a trout head for bait, then released it. The bulky cat, which was confirmed by the state Fish and Boat Commission, crushed the previous state record of 50 pounds 7 ounces set last year on the Susquehanna River

Lake Erie and tributaries (Erie County) Top to bottom at 57-59 degrees with no thermocline, the lake was warming but still too cool for walleye. Some were found at 20-30 feet by day and 7-15 feet at night. An 18-inch walleye took a fluorescent orange deep diving crankbait trolled at night. Two walleye in the 28-inch range and a 20-inch smallmouth bass were caught shortly after dawn while trolling crankbaits in 8-14 feet of water east of the peninsula during a Small Program Charters trip on May 29. Largemouths and smallmouths were picked off the rip-rap on the north side of the bay.

Kinzua Dam (Warren County) Walleye continued to be taken near the mouth of Sugar Bay.

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Allegheny River (Warren County) Smallmouth bass took soft plastics, jerk baits and spinnerbaits off Betts Park.

Jeff Bonawitz of Lancaster County and his nephew, Dylan, release the state-record flathead catfish into the Susquehanna River.
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50-pound flathead catfish caught on Susquehanna River sets Pa. record

Shenango Reservoir (Mercer County) Panfish were taken throughout this Panfish Enhancement lake, where the harvest minimum is 9 inches and the creel limit is 20.

Ohio River (Beaver County) A flathead catfish weighing 39.66 pounds was boated last month by Brandon Collins of Reddi Bait in Bridgewater.

Private lake (Beaver County) A 50-pound, 13-ounce flathead catfish was caught May 21 by Beaver County Fishing Club member Chuckie Russell. The catch was not certified before its release.

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Private Lake (Butler County) Conor Carney, 17, of Zelionople landed a channel catfish at Zelienople Sportsman’s Club.

Allegheny River (Armstrong County) An American eel was caught on a garlic-flavored hotdog by Nicole Bandzuh of Freeport while night fishing May 21. Neither endangered nor threatened, American eels are uncommon this far up the river, having migrated there from spawning waters in the Atlantic Ocean. The eel was released.

North Park Lake (Allegheny County) A 16-inch golden rainbow trout was caught on a kernel of corn. Many largemouth bass and crappies were taken.

Ohio River (Allegheny River) While fishing from shore near Sewickley Monday night, Derek Peluso of Ross wrestled in a big flathead catfish.

Finn Baker of Canonsburg, already a veteran angler at 6 years old, caught his first flathead catfish on the Ohio River June 3.
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Allegheny River (Allegheny County) Will Carnevale of Allegheny Township released two yard-long flatheads caught while night fishing with a bluegill as bait on Tuesday and May 29.

Pine Creek (Allegheny County) Anglers found trout in shady pools.

Canonsburg Lake (Washington County) An 18-inch rainbow trout was caught on a spinner by Ethan Estatico, 16, of Scott.

Cross Creek Lake (Washington County) Crappies were hit or miss on live minnows and red and white jigs fished in warm weedy shallows. Crappie schools were suspended at about 10 feet. Hand-sized bluegills were caught near shore, and in 71-degree water largemouth bass went for red or purple crankbaits.

Enlow Fork Creek (Washington County) Anglers reported good trout fishing.

File your Fishing Report and high-resolution digital photos (1MB minimum) at fishingreport@post-gazette.com. Include name, age (for minors), town, species, size, body of water, optional details and phone number (not for publication). View the results of the Trout Photo Contest at post-gazette.com/life/outdoors. Cick on the promo box.

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First Published: June 4, 2020, 9:20 p.m.

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A flathead catfish caught in the Schuylkill River by Jonathan Pierce of Philadelphia set a new state record at 56.3 pounds.  (Courtesy of Jonathan Pierce)
Will Carnevale of Allegheny Township with a flathead catfish caught recently on the Allegheny River.  (Nancy Carnevale)
Looking down the mouth of a flathead caught last week on the Ohio River by Derek Peluso of Ross.  (Derek Peluso)
Courtesy of Jonathan Pierce
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