October 2024 - 17

Bob Hocket poses with his state-record northern pike he caught on Oct. 27, 2004. (Photo courtesy from Danielle Urman)
Stanton was fishing for trout on the North
Platte River using a spoon-like lure. In the
past he caught channel catfish out of the
North Platte, but never a flathead catfish.
That changed on April 19, 2004.
Stanton caught the record fish at around
noon and it put up about a 30-minute fight.
On his next cast, Stanton said he hooked into
another catfish he thought was bigger, but it
snapped his 10-pound-test line.
" The state-record fish, I could make it
move, but that last one I couldn't get it
to move or do nothing, " Stanton said. " It
moved when it wanted to and it stopped
when it wanted to and he was gone when
it wanted to. "
Stanton said he didn't know there were
flathead catfish in the North Platte River at
that time. In fact, the Wyoming Game and
Fish Department wasn't sure there were any
there, either.
In 1993, the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission salvaged 133 8-16-inch flathead
catfish from irrigation canals and donated
them to Game and Fish for release in the
North Platte River below Glenrock. Some
also were stocked near Torrington.
In the late 1990s, biologists electrofished
both areas and didn't find any flatheads.
It was believed Stanton's state-record fish
was one of the original imports. The only
other flathead catfish biologists documented
prior to that was the former state record of
3.74 pounds caught in the North Platte near
Glenrock on Sept. 2, 1995.
Stanton said despite several attempts, he
didn't catch another flathead catfish after he
set the state record.
Nick Hogberg, Game and Fish fisheries
biologist in Casper, said through regular
sampling of that particular area of the North
Platte that fisheries managers are confident
there are none left. Hogberg also said flathead
catfish are not found anywhere else
in Wyoming, so Stanton's record won't be
broken in the foreseeable future.
Stanton was 54 when he set the state
record. He still fishes today, but some health
issues have slowed him down. He said he
couldn't find a taxidermist to mount his catfish,
and added he probably couldn't afford to
get it mounted even if he did. Still, Stanton
said that day remains a " very vivid memory. "
Hockett had his fish mounted, but the job
took 10 years to complete.
" I wasn't too worried about the state record
at that time, which was why I delayed getting
it officially weighed, " Hockett said. " My
wife and neighbor encouraged me to do it.
It didn't mean that much to me then, but
now it's kind of cool. Every once in a while
someone comes up to me and says: 'Are you
the guy that has that record?' Yeah, I am. "
- Robert Gagliardi is the associate editor of Wyoming
Wildlife.
Wyoming Wildlife | 17

October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024

October 2024 - 1
October 2024 - 2
October 2024 - 3
October 2024 - 4
October 2024 - 5
October 2024 - 6
October 2024 - 7
October 2024 - 8
October 2024 - 9
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October 2024 - 11
October 2024 - 12
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October 2024 - 14
October 2024 - 15
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October 2024 - 17
October 2024 - 18
October 2024 - 19
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October 2024 - 21
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October 2024 - 26
October 2024 - 27
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October 2024 - 43
October 2024 - 44
October 2024 - 45
October 2024 - 46
October 2024 - 47
October 2024 - 48
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