Delaware's First State-Record Flathead Catfish

Until 2025, Delaware had no official record for flathead catfish. On May 21, 2025, Jason Wise of Bear landed a 33-pound, 15.68-ounce flathead and set the first one.

The story

DNREC confirmed Wise’s fish in July 2025. In the same announcement, the agency confirmed a second first: a 15-pound, 8-ounce northern snakehead caught from shore on June 1 at Marshyhope Ditch near Harrington. Both species are invasive in Delaware, and both are increasingly sought after by anglers. DNREC’s records list shows Wise’s flathead as the current record, set in 2025.

Reports we have seen place the catch at Lums Pond, the state’s largest public fishing pond at 189 acres. That detail comes from a single secondary report, and we have not confirmed it in DNREC’s release. Treat the location as reported and not verified.

Why it’s remarkable

Flatheads are native to the Mississippi and Ohio river systems, not Delaware. They were first confirmed in the state in 2010, so a record fish within fifteen years shows how well they have settled in. DNREC encourages anglers to kill invasive species instead of releasing them, and live possession of flatheads is unlawful in Delaware.

The pond behind the record

Lums Pond is Delaware’s largest public fishing pond at 189.3 acres, inside Lums Pond State Park in New Castle County. It is a freshwater impoundment with a no-wake rule and a shallow boat ramp. State Parks lists largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish and pickerel. Hybrid striped bass were stocked in 2013 and 2014, with a 15-inch minimum and a two-fish daily limit.

DNREC’s survey shows what the pond held. In 2010, electrofishing found 100 largemouth bass per hour, 40 of them over 15 inches, 328 bluegill and 15 crappie. In 2015, the counts were 44 bass per hour with 12 over 15 inches, 287 bluegill, 41 crappie and 31 yellow perch. The survey tables we have do not mention flatheads.

Two firsts in one announcement

DNREC’s July 2025 announcement confirmed two new records at once. Wise’s flathead was the first official record for its species, and a 15-pound, 8-ounce northern snakehead caught from shore on June 1 at Marshyhope Ditch near Harrington was a record too. Both fish are non-native, and DNREC encourages anglers to kill invasive species and not release them.

Rules at the pond

Live possession of flathead catfish is unlawful in Delaware, so a flathead cannot be kept alive or moved to another water. Check DNREC’s current invasive-species rule before you fish. Lums Pond also has a no-wake rule, so boat traffic is slow, and the ramp is shallow.

Fishing the water

If the Lums Pond location holds, the Lums Pond guide covers access, rules and tackle. Read the current invasive-species rule before you fish, and never move or release a live flathead.

For the full records list and the other stories, see the Delaware Dock Tales index.