catfish record – Syndication Server

West Virginia blue catfish record falls again, keeping streak alive

Michael John Drake becomes the fourth West Virginia angler to establish a blue catfish state record in as many years.

A West Virginia angler has become the latest state-record holder for blue catfish.

Michael John Drake, of St. Albans, was fishing with cut shad at the R.C. Byrd Pool on the Ohio River earlier this month when the giant catfish struck.

The fish weighed 69.45 pounds and measured 50.51 inches. The weight eclipsed the record mark of 67.22 pounds set last year by Steven Price.

According to the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, this is the fourth consecutive year in which a new state record for blue catfish has been established.

For comparison, the all-tackle world record for blue catfish stands at 143 pounds, for a fish caught at Virginia’s Kerr Lake (Buggs Island Lake) in June 2011.

S.C. man lands giant blue catfish, sets bowfishing world record

A South Carolina bow fisherman has been granted a world record after landing a nearly 85-pound blue catfish on Jan. 6 at Santee Cooper Lakes. Stuart Vandyke also established a new state record, according to the Bowfishing Assn. of America. Vandyke …

A South Carolina bow fisherman has been granted a world record after landing a nearly 85-pound blue catfish on Jan. 6 at Santee Cooper Lakes.

Stuart Vandyke also established a new state record, according to the Bowfishing Assn. of America.

Vandyke “arrowed” the massive catfish just weeks after his friend, David Ard, hauled in an 80-pound blue catfish at Santee Cooper to set the state and world record.

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Wrote Carolina Fish and Hunt: “Once [Vandyke’s] arrow pierced the fish, he knew it would be big enough to vie for the record. He and his friends wrestled it aboard, then called a friend with a certified scale.

“They weighed the fish and got it entered into the Bowfishing Assn. of America’s record book, ending Ard’s short-lived status as world record holder.”

Vandyke’s catfish weighed 84.8 pounds.

His state and world record are recognized by the Bowfishing Assn. of America. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources only recognizes bowfishing records for bowfin, carp, and longnose gar.

For comparison, the South Carolina rod-and-reel record for blue catfish stands at 113.8 pounds.

The rod-and-reel world record is listed at 143 pounds, for a 2011 catch at Virginia’s Kerr Lake.

–Image courtesy of the Bowfishing Assn. of America

Boy, 12, lands record catfish, pens letter of appreciation

A 12-year-old Texas angler has fulfilled a three-year quest to set a youth record by landing a nearly 25-pound blue catfish at Calaveras Lake.

Colt Franke now holds the record for the largest blue catfish caught by a junior angler at the popular fishing reservoir southeast of San Antonio.

His catch last week was recognized by the Inland Fisheries San Antonio District – Texas Parks and Wildlife, which announced via Facebook:

“Help us congratulate Colt F. who caught this 33.5 inch, 24.5 lbs. Blue Catfish at Calaveras Lake. He had been trying to break the youth record the past 3 years and was able to achieve his goal last week! His next goal is to get his name on the Texas Elite Angler list. No doubt we will see it there someday!”

Colt was so pleased that he penned a letter to TP&W, thanking the agency for “everything that y’all do” and for recognizing the efforts of young anglers.

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In the letter Colt explained that he had been “trying to catch this fish for 3 years while working on my dad’s boat.” His dad, Travis, guides for San Antonio Fishing Charters.

Colt said that when the catfish struck he tried to pass the rod to someone else but his dad, knowing it was a large fish, responded, “No, you reel it in.”

Colt and his dad typically release fish, but Colt kept this trophy for the sake of setting the record. He added that the meat “was donated to a local pantry.”

While his achievement is noteworthy, there are much larger blue catfish to be caught.

The overall Texas record for blue catfish in the junior division stands at 72.40 pounds. That fish was caught by Cade Childress last March at Lake Tawakoni.

The state’s rod-and-reel record for anglers of all ages is 121.50 pounds, for a blue catfish caught at Lake Texoma in 2004.

For the sake of comparison, the overall world record for blue catfish stands at 143 pounds. That whopper was reeled from Kerr Lake in Virginia in 2011.

Angler reels massive catfish from canal after marathon battle

An Arizona angler pulled off a remarkable feat recently by reeling a 42-pound flathead catfish from a canal near his home after a marathon battle on light line.

An Arizona angler pulled off a remarkable feat recently by reeling a 42-pound flathead catfish from a canal near his home after an epic battle on light line.

“I had no idea something that big would be in there,” Trino Diaz, of Peoria, told FTW Outdoors.

Diaz, 28, was fishing with Ryan Leren on the morning of Sept. 21. Diaz used 10-pound-test line, sufficient for the carp, striped bass and bluegill he was catching.

But then the catfish struck a chicken liver used as bait, and in the ensuing 45-minute battle Diaz hurried a quarter-mile alongside the canal to keep pace with the fleeing fish.

“After the first 10 minutes or so, and not seeing the fish, I told Ryan that I possibly have my personal record,” Diaz recalled. “I didn’t want to rush or manhandle the fish since I was using 10-pound-test line and not expecting to catch anything that big.”

Trino Diaz poses with giant flathead catfish caught from an SRP canal in Peoria

The anglers first saw the “monster” 25 minutes into the battle. After another 20 minutes they realized that the fish was too large for the net.

“He was so big only his head fit in the net,” Diaz said, adding that ultimately he and Leren simply tossed the net and catfish onto the bank so the fish could be weighed before it was released.

“We could not believe how big the fish was,” Diaz said. “Needless to say, it shattered my personal best by over 30 pounds.”

For the sake of comparison, the Arizona record for flathead catfish is 76-pounds, 8 ounces. But that fish was caught from a boat on lake, on much heavier line.

–Image courtesy of Trino Diaz

Connecticut angler’s catfish record revoked; state issues apology

A Connecticut angler credited with shattering the state’s white catfish record last month has had that recognition withdrawn.

Ben Tomkunas caught the 21.3-pound catfish Aug. 20 at Coventry Lake. Days later, the Bureau of Natural Resources declared Tomkunas the new record holder.

“This was a tough one to verify as Channel Cats and White Cats, especially when so large, look very similar,” the agency stated. “[But] with multiple sets of expert eyes, we confirm the new state record.”

Apparently, debate continued as to whether the fish, which was released, might have been improperly identified. On Monday, the Bureau of Natural Resources announced that the decision had been reversed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The state record, therefore, still stands at 12.75 pounds.

“Due to questions raised both internally at DEEP and by outside sources, DEEP is recalling its initial declaration of a new state record white catfish caught in Coventry Lake on August 20th,” the Bureau of Natural Resources announced via Facebook. “Without the ability to examine the actual fish, identification is left to still images and videos, which have proven to be ambiguous and inconclusive to definitively identify the species of catfish in this case.

“To maintain the integrity of the state record dataset, we are reversing the initial announcement that this 21.3 pound fish was the new state record White Catfish. We apologize for this error.”

Tomkunas, who was fishing for carp when the catfish struck, said it “ran like a 30-inch striped bass.”

If the fish was, in fact, a white catfish, it was of world-record size. The current all-tackle world record, set in Oakdale, Ca., in 2005, stands at 19 pounds, 5 ounces.

Angler lands record-shattering catfish with remarkable ease

A Florida man who traveled to Georgia for a weekend fishing tournament with buddies has landed the heaviest blue catfish ever recorded in the state.

Tim Trone, of Havana, Fla., caught the 110-pound, 6-ounce catfish Saturday on Georgia’s Chattahoochee River. The catch shattered the state record by more than 17 pounds.

The fish measured 58 inches and boasted a girth of 42 inches.

Asked by For The Win Outdoors about the fight, Trone said there was not much of a struggle. “About three minutes,” he said. “It never pulled, never rolled. It was just like it gave up.”

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Still, when Trone first saw the behemoth he had no idea just how heavy it might be.

“The tail comes out the water and all I thought was, ‘Man, I got my 50-pound fish. I’ve got the 50-pounder.’ I’ve been wanting to break 50 pounds. It was surreal to think I got my 50-pound fish,” Trone told Fox 8 News.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced the record Tuesday, stating, “A day you catch a state record is a great day! Tim Trone of Havana, Fla., is the new state record holder for the blue catfish.”

Trone, who used cut bream as bait, said he knew he had broken the state record after the fish bottomed out a 100-pound scale. The official weight was recorded on a larger digital scale.

Thom Litts, Chief of Fisheries for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, stated in a news release: “We love to hear about this kind of exciting news. This is our first state record since last April, and I hope it encourages all anglers to get outdoors and Go Fish Georgia!”

Trone received some flack via social media for keeping the fish. He told For The Win Outdoors that the fish was more than 20 years old and died minutes after it was landed. “A very old fish,” he said.

In a Facebook post on Monday he sort of addressed the issue, writing, “So sorry this fish died but it’s official. 110.64 pounds. New Georgia State Record.”

For the sake of comparison, the all-tackle world record for blue catfish stands at 143 pounds. That fish was caught by Richard Anderson at Kerr Lake in Virginia in June 2011.

–Images courtesy of Tim Trone