Catfish – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Anglers land 95-pound catfish to keep ‘amazing’ streak alive

Michael Robinson and Terry Raymer teamed to catch and release a 95-pound blue catfish on the Ohio River, keeping alive a remarkable streak.

March 15, apparently, is an outstanding day to try to land a giant blue catfish on the Ohio River in Kentucky.

On Tuesday, Michael Robinson and Terry Raymer teamed to catch and release a blue catfish that weighed 97 pounds while still in the net. (Robinson is pictured atop this post.)

Kentucky Afield, on Facebook, placed the weight of the “monstrous” catfish at 95 pounds, while Catfish NOW called it a 94-pounder and welcomed both anglers to the “90-pound club.”

But perhaps more impressive is that this marked the fourth consecutive March 15 that Raymer had been involved in the catch of a truly enormous blue catfish on the Ohio River.

Kentucky Afield explained, “Although a fish of this size is something anglers often only see in their dreams, Terry and his fishing buddies are no strangers to them. On March 15th the past four years in a row they have put a fish over 80 lb in the boat… Amazing!”

That’s mostly accurate.

Raymer provided the accompanying photo showing of all four March 15 catfish – from the 95-pounder caught Tuesday (top left) to the smallest, a 75-pounder caught by Raymer (bottom right). The others weighed 82 and 80 pounds.

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The fish were hooked at two of Raymer’s favorite spots near Louisville. “I think I might go fishing on the 15th again next year,” he joked.

Raymer told FTW Outdoors that the 95-pound catfish struck a piece of skipjack tuna, with Robinson at the rod.

“The fish swam straight to the boat like it didn’t know it was hooked, then got under the boat and peeled,” Raymer said. “It was about as hard a fight for five minutes at the boat as a blue can give, which was surprising considering the water was 45 degrees.”

The massive catfish was weighed, eventually, and released back into the river.

Said Raymer: “I was pretty excited to be part of Mike’s catch and I take a lot of satisfaction being able to put my friends on some trophies. They appreciate all the time I’ve put on the river and they soak it in like sponges.”

Blue catfish, native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basin systems (and introduced elsewhere in the U.S.), can be much heavier, although the absolute giants are rarely caught.

The world record, listed at 143 pounds, was set at Kerr Lake in Virginia in 2011.

‘Monster’ catfish reeled through ice during epic Iowa sunset

An Iowa angler who was ice fishing with minnows recently on Lake Manawa was surprised by the “constant power” exhibited by the 34-pound flathead catfish at the end of his line.

An Iowa angler who was ice fishing with minnows recently on Lake Manawa was surprised by the “constant power” exhibited by the massive catfish at the end of his line.

“The fight was unlike anything I’ve ever caught through the ice,” the Council Bluffs resident told Field & Stream. “It was constant power. It was a whole new battle to get that big of a fish to turn its head on a rod and reel that wasn’t meant for something of its size.”

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The flathead catfish, caught during a spectacular sunset on Jan. 31, tipped a scale at 34 pounds before Campbell placed the fish back into the hole and watched it swim free.

He told Outdoor Life: “I only caught one fish that night but it took us the whole night to get it in.”

The catch caught the attention of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which on Wednesday shared the news via Facebook.

“Surprise! That’s no panfish. That’s a 40-inch, 34-pound Iowa Master Angler flathead catfish!” the agency exclaimed. “Gavin Campbell was recently ice fishing Lake Manawa when he pulled this monster from the ice.”

Many of the comments pertained to the beautiful sunset on display in the image captured by Campbell’s friend, Ryan Higginbotham.

Iowa’s Master Angler Program recognizes exceptional catches in state waters.

Campbell told Field & Stream that it was his largest-ever ice-fishing catch.

For the sake of comparison, however, the Iowa state record for flathead catfish stands at 81 pounds. The behemoth was caught at Ellis Lake in 1958.

The all-tackle world record is the 1998 catch of a 123-pound flathead catfish at Elk City Reservoir in Kansas.

Angler makes tournament splash with catch of 106-pound catfish

A South Carolina angler has landed a 106-pound blue catfish to propel his team to victory during a recent tournament at Santee Cooper Lakes.

The catfish was so immense and powerful that it “literally destroyed the extra-large plastic tub used to hold fish before placing them into the stainless steel bin to be officially weighed,” according to the Carolina Sportsman.

Vern Reynolds caught the 106.62-pound blue catfish while teamed with Mike Durham during the Santee Lakes Catfish Club’s inaugural tournament on Jan. 15. The competition involved 20 teams that combined to weigh more than 1,330 pounds of catfish.

Three teams were skunked and seven teams delivered more than 100 pounds of catfish to the scale. All catfish were released after being weighed.

106-pound blue catfish pictured at left. Credit: Santee Lakes Catfish Club

Reynolds’ massive catfish was caught while he and Durham drifted on the lower lake. Their three-fish limit weighed 200.15 pounds.

The Santee Lakes Catfish Club provided this synopsis Jan. 16 via Facebook:

“Man, what a tournament Santee Lakes Catfish Club had yesterday! Some of the best anglers in the country went out and battled some rough, March-like winds in January, and it paid off for a lot of them. We had 7 teams weighing in total weights of 100+ lbs, with the 1st place team coming in with an astonishing 200.1 lbs, including a BRUTE weighing 106.6!”

Few anglers have landed blue catfish topping 100 pounds. The all-tackle world record – a catch made at Virginia’s Kerr Lake in 2011 – stands at 143 pounds.

–Images courtesy of the Santee Lakes Catfish Club

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.

Fly angler lands potential world-record blue catfish

A Texas fly fisherman recently prevailed in a marathon battle with a potential world-record blue catfish.

A Texas fly fisherman last week prevailed in a marathon battle with a potential world-record blue catfish.

Ben Christensen hooked the 31.55-pound catfish while casting an olive-colored creek damsel fly on 12-pound tippet with a 4-weight rod in the Pedernales River.

“I sight casted to the fish and watched it take the fly, then fought it for 40 minutes,” Christensen, of PearlSnap Flyfishing, told Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The agency’s Inland Fisheries San Marcos/Austin District weighed and measured the catfish and announced the catch as a new waterbody record.

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A post shared by Ben Christensen (@pearlsnapflyfishing)

However, Christensen could also become a world-record holder.

According to the International Game Fish Assn., the 12-pound tippet record for blue catfish stands at 26 pounds, 4 ounces. That fish was caught in Florida’s Escambia River in 2018.

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Christensen on Wednesday told FTW Outdoors that he plans to submit catch details to the IGFA for record consideration.

He said he kept the catfish because he believed it was going to perish after the grueling battle.

“It was old, blind in one eye, and its stomach was empty when we filleted him,” Christensen said. “I took thin fillets off the fish and composted his body in the middle of as piece of land where I hope to plant a wine grape vineyard.”

Of the spirited battle, Christensen stated on Instagram: “It was on like Donkey Kong! Took me to the backing, and I fought him for 40 minutes like we were offshore or something.”

Christensen said he’s writing a book titled, “Fly Fishing in San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country.”

–Images courtesy of Ben Christensen

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 fishing for carp lands pending world-record catfish

A Connecticut angler has shattered the state record for white catfish and Ben Tomkunas’ catch also is a pending world record.

“This was a tough one to verify as Channel Cats and White Cats, especially when so large, look very similar,” Connecticut Fish and Wildlife stated last week on Facebook. “With multiple sets of expert eyes, we confirm the new state record.”

Tomkunas, 25, was night fishing for carp earlier this month at Coventry Lake when the 21.3-pound white catfish ingested a boilie bait and ran “like a 30-inch striper,” Tomkunas told Field & Stream.

https://www.facebook.com/CTFishAndWildlife/posts/4180167865353603

“It was the craziest fight. When we got it on the shore, we said ‘Holy moly!’ ”

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The previous state-record white catfish weighed 12.75 pounds. The current all-tackle world record, set in Oakdale, Ca., in 2005, stands at 19 pounds, 5 ounces.

The International Game Fish Assn., which keeps world records for most species, typically waits weeks or months before announcing a new record.

–Images courtesy of Connecticut Fish and Wildlife

Boy saves allowance for new rod, lands 83-pound catfish

Autry Hogan saved his allowance to buy a new fishing rod and last Saturday the 7-year-old Tennessean broke in the lucky rod by landing a catfish as big as himself.

Autry Hogan saved his allowance to buy a new fishing rod and last Saturday the 7-year-old Tennessean broke in his new equipment by landing an 83-pound catfish.

Autry, who was fishing on the Cumberland River with his father, grandfather, and younger brother, required help holding up a catfish that was about as long (47 inches) as he is tall.

The fish was released but based on a photo supplied by the family, Clarksville Now reported that the species “appears to be a flathead” catfish.

Autry Hogan and his father hoist 83-pound catfish. Courtesy photo

The Tennessee record for flathead catfish – 85 pounds, 15 ounces – has stood since 1993.

Clarksville Now reported that Autry’s new goal is to beat that record.

“Now, he has pretty high expectations,” said his father, Joshua Hogan.

Vivian Flores and the Lakers catfish story, explained

This is the wildest story on the internet.

Welcome to For The Win Explains, our little feature where we get you caught up on things going on in the world. Today we’ll do our best to explain a controversy that engulfed NBA Twitter — even Kevin Durant got involved — on Monday night.

Whew, buddy. What a night, er, uh, morning on Twitter. Just when you think things are starting to get a little tame on the internet, they go crazy again.

Last night, NBA Twitter collectively lost it when they realized they might be getting catfished by Lakers fan and podcaster Vivian Flores, who supposedly went missing. When she was found a short time later, it ignited a discussion of whether she actually exists in the first place.

That right there is … a lot. It doesn’t make a ton of sense and the story feels a bit like that meme of Charlie from Always Sunny in Philadelphia connecting the dots.

Don’t worry, though. We got you. Here’s the play-by-play on this absolutely ridiculous story.