More flathead catfish than expected in the Calumet system during intensive invasive carp monitoring

Commercial fisher Travis Michael with one of the many flathead catfish observed and immediately released on Lake Calumet during the intensive two-week check for invasive carp. (Provided)

The miracles of the Calumet system don’t surprise me often anymore, but a mess of flathead catfish in Lake Calumet did.

Last week I read the recap of the rapid response monitoring, initiated under the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee’s Contingency Response Plan by the capture of an adult silver carp Aug. 4 in Lake Calumet. It all was started by bass angler Cody Bertrand’s report of a jumping silver carp in late July (Sun-Times, Aug. 13).