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Mike Wherley hoists the giant Pennsylvania flathead. Mike Wherley<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A mid-morning fishing trip for Pennsylvania angler Mike Wherley produced a giant flathead catfish last Sunday. Caught from the Susquehanna River, the catfish weighed 66 pounds, 6 ounces. It should be more than heavy enough to replace the standing state-record for the species.<\/p>\n Wherley was fishing one of his favorite spots below Safe Harbor Dam, where he typically goes on a weekly basis. He\u2019d been soaking a foot-long trout in a deep run when the catfish gobbled the bait. After landing the fish from his boat, he knew it was larger than anything he\u2019d caught in the past.<\/p>\n Already thinking about a potential state record, Wherley grabbed an anchor line and ran it through the fish\u2019s gill plate. Slowly, he towed it back to the boat ramp, where he loaded it into a livewell in his truck and drove it to Columbia Bait and Tackle\u2014the closest place with a state-certified scale. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it was the [new] record as soon as I saw it,\u201d tackle shop owner Matt Musselman told Lancaster Online<\/a>. \u201cI see these big fish all the time, and this was the biggest.\u201d<\/p>\n Wildlife officer Jeff Schmidt, of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, was at the tackle shop during the weigh-in. He also inspected and measured the big flathead.<\/p>\n After filling out the paperwork, Wherley put the fish back in the livewell. Then he drove it to Columbia River Park to be released back into the Susquehanna.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fish got that big by living a long time, so I wanted him to keep on living,\u201d Wherley said.<\/p>\n