41” Channel Catfish - Almost A New Michigan State Record

by Karen Nentwig
(Midland, Michigan )

I was fishing out of my kayak on Hamlin Lake in Ludington, Michigan. It was 11:00 at night when I hooked into this huge fish.

I was using an ultra lite rod by Ugly Stik with a #4 hook, using a crawler as bait. It was pitch black outside so I was using a glow stick attached to my bobber. All I could see is the lit up bobber swimming around under the water.

It actually was kind of eerie to be in a kayak in the dark having some unknown fish drag you around the lake.

Finally after about 45 minutes I had it up to the surface, but I still didn’t know what I had.

I grabbed my flashlight... dead battery. So I grabbed my phone and shined it into the water. My first thought was “I’m gonna need a bigger boat”. I knew I couldn’t even try to get it off without tipping the kayak over. At this point I realized that it had drug me 3/4 way across the lake.

I called my nephew and told him to meet me at the boat launch to help me get it off. So... I put my pole between my legs with the rod tip to the rear of the kayak. I drug him back across the lake to the launch. I can’t believe I got him in!!! It was exciting and a little scary.

We measured it but didn’t have a scale to weigh it. It measured in at 40 7/8”. Michigan state record is 41 1/2”.