Scott Failor had trailered his 16-foot center console boat 90 minutes from his home in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County to the Delaware River. He launched at dawn on June 1 near the town of Augustine Beach and started soaking cut gizzard shad baits on bottom along river ledges.
“It was a good dawn bite of catfish, and I caught several to 15 pounds before I hooked a bigger one that morning,” Failor told Wired2fish. “I was anchored on a slow-moving river ledge in 17 to 23 feet of water.”
A Fighter of a Fish
It didn’t take long for the most exciting catch of the morning to materialize.
“About 7 a.m. one of my 6.6-foot ‘Toughest Fricke’N’ bait casting rods bent over really good. So I grabbed it and started reeling.”
It was a strong and deep-boring fish. But Failor battled it with his Penn “Squall reel” spooled with 100-pound test braided line connected to a 50-pound mono leader. He used a 6-ounce sinker and an 8/0 circle hook.
“I use heavy gear, like I use on my home catfishing spot of the Susquehanna River,” Failor said about his record catfish tackle. “I also fish the surf for sharks in summer, and they’re really strong, like big catfish.”
After a rugged tussle with the big Delaware catfish, Failor netted his fish and put it in his boat. Although he releases most fish he catches, Failor knew the oversize flathead he boated was a big one, so he decided to have it weighed on certified scales.
Confirming a New State Record
He ran his boat back to the ramp, loaded it, and drove to Captain Bones fishing store in Odessa, Delaware. There, certified scales confirmed the fish weighed in at 36.2 pounds, with a 41-inch length and a 24.75-inch girth.
Failor’s flathead topped the old state record for the species, caught from Delaware’s Lums Pond by Jason Wise in 2025 and weighing just under 34 pounds.
The Captain Bones store contacted Delaware’s Fish and Wildlife (DFW) agency. DFW officer Jenna McDermott soon arrived at the store to witness the weighing and measuring of Failor’s record catfish, and assist with all state paperwork. Failor has recived word that his big cat officially holds the state record for flatheads.
From Breaking a Record to Feeding a Family
Because he doesn’t eat fish, Failor donated his monster catch to a family. He reports that they were delighted to receive the big flathead, which is well-known as prized table fare.
Failor remained undecided if he’ll have a replica mount made of his Delaware-record flathead.
“I’ve caught bigger flatheads from the Susquehanna River, so it’s kinda hard to mount one smaller than some I’ve caught previously,” explained the self-employed angler. “I’ve only been fishing the Delaware for about a year.
“But the Delaware River is full of catfish, especially flatheads, and there are plenty of channel cats and blue cats, too.”
