Latest news with #bowfishing
CBS News
21-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Monroe County man lands record-breaking flathead catfish
A Newport man has landed a new state record for a flathead catfish, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported. Codie Carlson was bowfishing early in the morning of June 29 at Plum Creek in Monroe County when he took in the fish that weighed 64.46 pounds and measured 45 inches. "I thought I was about to shoot a channel catfish for dinner. Turns out, I guess we do have flathead catfish in these waters," Carlson told state officials. Carlson's catch soundly beats the previous state record size for that species – a flathead catfish caught in 2022 on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County. The 2022 fish, caught by Lloyd Tanner of Hobart, Indiana, was 53.35 pounds and 43 inches in size. DNR fisheries biologist John Buszkiewicz, who works out of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Lake Erie Fisheries Management Unit, did the verification. It's likely that Buszkiewicz and his crew noticed Carlson's fish when conducting a survey in 2020 at that location. At the time, the DNR said, a flathead catfish weight 55 pounds and measured 43 inches. Michigan's state records for fish are recognized by weight. Those who catch a potential state record fish should contact a DNR fisheries biologist as soon as possible and follow the listed procedures for check in. The fish must exceed the currently-listed state record for that species, be weighed on a certified commercial scale, and verified by a DNR fisheries biologist. The state records for this and other fish in Michigan can be found at the DNR's Master Angler website. This flathead catfish is the only current record-holding fish out of Plum Creek. The other record-holder fish found in Monroe County is a bigmouth buffalo caught in 2020 in Lake Erie.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Nighttime bowfishing temporarily allowed on Lake Minnetonka
Nighttime bowfishing hasn't been allowed in Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota for over 10 years. The local conservation district brought it back temporarily to deal with a growing carp population, but neighbors aren't thrilled with the lights and sounds that come with it. It was roughly a month ago when Jay Nygard took a video outside his Orono home. "It was just the lights! You'd be in there watching TV and everything was lit up like you wouldn't believe" said Nygard. From April 24 - June 30th, the agency regulating Lake Minnetonka approved a special permit allowing nighttime bow fishing in 4 areas: Harrisons Bay West Arm Jennings Halstead Bay Which Nygard wasn't aware of at the time of the video, so he took the initiative to se what they were actually doing and reached out to fisherman. "A I was out there, I was also considering the people on the shore. How do we solve this problem?" said Nygard. Curtis Cich is a bowfishing guide across the state, hoping to help find a solution to the problem these invasive species present. "They'll go down and dig up all the native plants and will eat all of the eggs of the game fish," said Cich. Cich says some of the bays are seeing over 900 carp per acre. But the best time to bowfish is at night with special lights. "With the lights we can see all the way to the bottom of the lake, where in the daytime we're seeing them in the shallows and chasing them," Cich added. "This little bit of light at night is a trade-off for making their lake better overall." "I haven't heard anyone disagree that there's a carp issue in Lake Minnetonka, there has been since I was young, but how do you deal with it?" Nygard added. WCCO received the following statement from the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District: "Common carp are invasive to Lake Minnetonka, and unfortunately, their growing population threatens the quality of this much-loved community resource. As part of our efforts to bring a greater range of recreation to more parties and manage the carp population, the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District approved nighttime bowfishing on four bays, between April 24-June 30, bowfishing participants must have a permit to participate and follow all approved regulations, including hours, lighting and noise limits. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol is enforcing these regulations, and we encourage community members to report any violations to Water Patrol at (612) will evaluate the effectiveness of this nighttime bowfishing event later this year to determine if the restrictions need to be adjusted and if additional opportunities will be permitted. Community members can provide feedback on this year's event by contacting the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District office." Learn more here.
