Blue catfish don’t grow too much larger than this 127.1-pound pending North Carolina state record.
It was caught from the Roanoke River the night of July 10 by Rocky Baker, of Four Oaks, N.C. According to Carolina Sportsman, it’s the third largest state record blue catfish ever landed on a rod and reel. The second largest briefly held the world record at 130 pounds in 2010, when it was caught by Greg Bernal from the Missouri River. Bernal’s record was eclipsed in 2011, when Nicholas Anderson landed the existing IGFA world record of 143 pounds from Buggs Island, Virginia.
Baker was fishing with his buddy Justin Clifton. They are both hardcore catfish anglers who have experienced some tournament success. The fish ate a whole 3-inch gizzard shad, and it took 15 to 20 minutes to subdue it with medium-heavy gear.
The fish bottomed out a set of 110-pound scales, which sent the anglers in search of some heavy-duty certified scales because they knew the fish might be something special. They found some scales at E-Z Bait and Tackle in Goldsboro, N.C. and spent the rest of the night keeping the fish alive until a state biologist arrived to certify the fish at 5:30 a.m.
With all the boxes checked for a new state record, Baker and Clifton took it back to the river and released it. It swam off on its own.