He held Idaho’s flathead catfish record. Then his wife reeled in a monster
An Idaho woman reeled in a flathead catfish that broke the state catch-and-release record — the title that her husband held for nearly five years.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials said in a news release that Brandi and Jared Holt, of Homedale, were fishing on the Snake River at night on Aug. 2 when Brandi’s line bowed as the couple baited the water.
After Brandi fought the monster fish into the boat, Jared broke out the tape measure only to find that his wife’s catch had knocked him off the list of state record holders.
Brandi’s catfish measured 44 inches from nose to tail, a full 2 inches longer than the 42-inch fish Jared set his record with on the Snake River in 2020.
“I was hesitant to even submit the record,” Brandi said in the news release. “My husband puts in so much time and effort all year trying to beat his own personal best, and it was really his encouragement that convinced me to go ahead and send it in.”
Flathead catfish are a non-native species that can be found in the Snake River in Southwest Idaho. According to Fish and Game, they are most common between C.J. Strike and Brownlee reservoirs and can sometimes be found in lower tributaries of the Weiser and Payette rivers.
The fish are known for growing quite large and can reach trophy sizes. The state weight record for flathead catfish has stood for more than 30 years. In 1994, anglers J. Newberry and K. McCormick caught a 58.5-pound flathead at Brownlee Reservoir, Fish and Game records show. That fish was even larger than Brandi Holt’s at 48 inches long, though it didn’t qualify for the catch-and-release records.
