When Tommy Couch of Howe was reeling in his 76-lb. state record flathead catfish from the Poteau River June 13, he just knew it was going to be a carp.

  "He stayed right along the bank and right along the bottom," Couch said, similar to carp he has landed in the past."“When his tail finally came up — that's when I realized what he was."

  On the bank, someone with Couch screamed, "That's a record! That's a record."

  And it was. Couch's fish outweighs the previous 72-lb., 8-oz. record flathead catfish caught by Ron Cantrell in 2004 at El Reno Lake.

  Couch was fishing the old Poteau River channel below the Wister Dam when he landed his state record. He was not having much luck using night crawlers, so he switched to red worms and caught the fish just after 1 p.m. The catfish measured 51 1/2” in length and had a girth of 58 1/4".

  Couch was using a Ambassadeur 5000 reel on a Master Spector 10' graphite rod. His 20 lb. test line was rigged with a 2-0 Eagle Claw hook.

  Couch said he has never had a fish fight on the line quite like his record fish — or like a catfish in general, which is one reason he recommends catfish angling to other sportsmen.

  Couch is an avid catfish angler, and he said "anytime the barometer is rising" is a good time to be casting for catfish.

  Flathead catfish are popular among Oklahoma anglers, as are channel catfish and blue catfish. All three catfish are readily available in the state's lakes, ponds and rivers, and they can be caught using a variety of methods, including rod and reel, trotlining, juglining, limblining and noodling.

  Couch had initially considered donating the fish to an aquarium facility, but it died before he found a location that would accept it. He and friends decided to eat the fish and have already sampled the meat.

  Don Groom, southeast region fisheries biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, verified the fish for the Wildlife Department.

  "Poteau River is known for producing large flatheads," Groom said. "This is a great fish, and we congratulate him for his catch."

  To see a photo of the new record flathead catfish, go to http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=726

  Couch's flathead catfish also qualifies as a lake record for Wister Lake. To view other lake record fish, log on to the Wildlife Department's Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.

  For a complete list of record fish and the procedures regarding certifying state record fish, consult the current "Oklahoma Fishing Guide"” or log on to www.wildlifedepartment.com. Anglers who believe they may have hooked a record fish must weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale, and the weight must be verified by a Wildlife Department employee.

  Here are a couple of ideas/thoughts on how to clean and prepare turtles for the dinner table. You can find another method on our site at www.backwoodsbound.com/xturtle.html.

  HOW TO CLEAN A SNAPPING TURTLE by Michael Avery

  1) Have a deep fryer outside 2/3 full of boiling water.

  2) Put live turtle in boiling water 30 minutes or so. This will help soften the skin.

  3) Scrap the skin and cut skin along edges of shell. Use pliers and a very sharp knife and skin the legs and neck back revealing the meat.

  4) Use wire cutters to cut leg/neck bone from shell.

  5) Soak meat overnight in salt water.

  6) Boil meat for 1 1/2 hours, then fry it. Makes great jambalaya. Fry the rice with the meat then add water.

  7) Save some of the grease to make gravy with.

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  I am a 65 year old female and when I was a child, I watched my father, Ike Greenwood clean turtles many, many times.

  He would use a hay hook and tempted them until they would snap at it and he would quickly put the hay hook through their bottom jaw. Stretch their neck out and with a sharp knife, cut off their head. He then let them bleed for 20 to 30 minutes.

  Between two trees, he had a 2x6 with a large nail sticking up through it. After the turtle had bled out he would bring it over the nail and slam it down (middle of shell) upside down so it couldn’t wiggle while trying to finish the cleaning. He then finished the cleaning as you describe. (on our site at www.backwoodsbound.com/xturtle.html)

  Get rid of every piece of yellow fat before cooking. Dredge in flour and seasonings (pepper, salt, and maybe a bit of garlic powder), and then brown in hot lard. Then put in a roasting pan with a bit of water for creating a steam. Bake with lid on until meat gets very tender. It will get tender enough to fall off the bone. Serve with side dishes just as you would fried chicken. My mom was the best at cooking turtle in Northern Minnesota. - Jean Severtson

  We received this response from Dale last month after running the article about chiggers. We hope you find it useful.

  "I say prevention is a lot easier then the cure. Flower of sulfur (SULFUR SUBLIMED found at pharmacies) is 100% sulfur and is a repellent of chiggers. I have used it for 30 years. Dust it around any opening (pant legs, arm openings, neck and waist. It is not greasy or oily and has low odor. I have used it in early deer season without spooking the deer. For ground hog hunting and farm pond fishing is when I use it faithfully. I check for ticks before I drive home and very few times do I find a tick on my clothes and I have never have found one attached to my skin while using sulfur." – Dale

 Find the complete article at www.backwoodsbound.com/zznewv10i06.html.