Big Fish

Nathan Ward and his son-in-law, Elijsha Lecinski, have fished the East Nishnabotna River on the outskirts of Red Oak for years. What they caught Tuesday, June 15, is something they never expected in their wildest dreams … a 50 pound, 4’ 9” inch Flathead catfish.

“We fish there all the time, but we never catch anything over a pound,” said Lecinski.

“We were sitting there fishing, like normal, and we saw something swim up to us; we could see the ripple. All we saw was the head and back, so we didn’t think it was this big. I put my line out there, and it bit it,” recalled Ward. “It’s crazy.”

When Ward started reeling the fish in, on the 20-pound line, he realized he’d caught more than he thought. With the line and pole not being strong enough, Lecinski waded into the waist-deep water to help wrangle it. He grabbed it by the gills and brought it to shore.

The catch occurred around 7 p.m. Three to 5 pound catfish, bass and carp are the usual fish caught in their secret fishing spot, said Ward.

Ward contacted the Iowa Department of Natrual Resources, who told him he was 30 pounds shy of the state record for a Flathead catfish.

The record Flathead catfish caught in Iowa was 81-pounds, caught in 1958 in Ellis Lake near Chariton.

The plans are to fry up the big fish and eat it.

“I couldn’t throw it back,” Ward said. “It was a once in a lifetime catch.”