Game & Fish dived into the record books to find the catfish records for every state. How does your best blue, channel, flathead and white catfish catches compare?
We know Game & Fish fans love fishing for catfish — whether it’s for trophies and state records, or eaters. Our voluminous catfish library of content is one of the biggest, best and most visited on the Internet.
So, we took a look at the state fishing records (based on weight and traditional methods) listed on official websites of wildlife agencies or other official sources to see where the big cats roam. The answer? Everywhere. Well, almost; Alaska doesn’t have catfish listed among their state fishing records.
Posts about big catfish records are well-liked by readers.
Our search included records for blue, channel, flathead and white catfish (sorry, no bullheads) — the four most common targeted species in the U.S. Catch-and-release, length and line class records were not considered.
Here are some interesting factoids we found:
- At least seven catfish records have been set so far this year (Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Wyoming).
- The oldest record — a 55-pound channel catch in South Carolina, 1949 — is approaching 80 years old
- Michigan’s flathead record (70-0) was reportedly caught while ice fishing
- The IGFA world records for the four species were caught in the U.S.
- However, while the IGFA recognizes California as the home of the world white catfish record (19 pounds, 5 ounces; 2005), California’s official state record (22-0, 1994) is heavier
- Indiana and Kentucky share the same record for blue catfish (104-0)
Note: This list was compiled from data currently available. It you see a mistake or omission, let us know.
State-by-state catfish records in the U.S.
2017 records are bold-faced.
- Blue: 120-4, John Paul Nichols, Holt Reservoir, 3/9/2012
- Channel: 40-0, Donald R. Cox, Inland Lake, 6/17/1967
- Flathead: 80-0, Rick Conner, Alabama River, 6/22/1986
- White: 10-5, Roy Britton, Chambers Co. Public Lake, 4/3/1981
Carson Pete’s Arizona record channel catfish measured 39 1/2 inches and took about 20 minutes to land. (Arizona Game & Fish photo)
- Channel: 33-5.76, Carson Pete, Upper Mary Lake, 3/26/2017
- Flathead: 76-8.64, Eddie Wilcoxson, Bartlett Lake, 4/13/2013
- Blue: 116-12, Charles Ashley Jr., Mississippi River, 8/3/2001
- Channel: 38-0, Joe Holleman, Lake Ouachita, 6/3/1989
- Flathead: 80-0, Wesley White, Arkansas River, 10/28/1989
- Blue: 113-5, Steve Oudomsouk, San Vicente Reservoir, 7/24/2008
- Channel: 53-8, Randall Gilgert Jr., San Joaquin River, 9/22/2008
- Flathead: 72-14, Billy Joe Potter, Colorado River, 4/22/2003
- **White: 22-0, James Robinson, Land Park pond, 3/21/1994
- Blue: 24-7.7, Charlie Black, Pueblo Reservoir, 2016
- Channel: 43-6, Jessica Walton, Aurora Reservoir, 2010
- Flathead: 30-9.6, Michael Flock, Pueblo Reservoir, 2017
- Channel: 29-6, Appleton Barrows, Mashapaug Lake, 2004
- White: 12-12, John Shatas, Connecticut River, 1999
- Catfish (any species): 36-3.2 (blue), Jordan Chelton, Nanticoke River Creek, 6/20/2017
Charles Patchen caught the Florida state record flathead in 2016. (Photo courtesy of FWC)
- Blue: 69.5 pounds, William Stewart III, Choctawhatchee River, 5/30/2015
- Channel: 44.5, Joe Purvis, Lake Bluff, 5/19/1985
- Flathead: 63.8, Charles Patchen, Chattahoochee River, 5/15/2016
- White: 18.88, Jim Miller, Withlacoochee River, 9/21/1991
- Blue: 80-4, Earnest Timpson, Lake Walter F. George, 2/2/2010
- Channel: 44-12, Bobby Smithwick, Altamaha River, 5/18/1972
- Flathead: 83-0 (tie), Carl Sawyer, Altamaha River, 6/22/2006; Jim Dieveney, Altamaha River, 7/11/2010
- White: 8-10, James Sanders, Savannah River, 6/10/1996
- Channel: 43-13, Dayton Miyamura, Lake Wilson, 3/24/1974
- Channel: 31-0, Kenny Decker, Mann Lake, 8/25/2001
- Flathead: 58-8, J. Newberry/K.McCormick, Brownlee Reservoir, 8/23/1994
- Blue: 124-0, Mississippi River, 5/21/2005
- Channel: 45-4, Baldwin Lake, 2/7/1987
- Flathead: 81-6.4, Sangchris Lake, 8/29/2015
- Blue: 104-0, Bruce Midkiff, Ohio River, 1999 (also Kentucky record)
- Channel: 37-8, Randy Jones, Vanderburgh County, 1980
- Flathead: 79-8, Glen Simpson, White River, 1966
- White: 9.72, Melissa Grimes, Wabash County pond, 1985
- Blue: 101-0, Mike Rush, Missouri River, 6/8/2004
- Channel: 38-2, Dustin Curtis, Missouri River, 6/11/2005
- Flathead: 81-0, Joe Baze, Ellis Lake, 6/7/1958
- Blue: 102.8, Robert Stanley, Missouri River, 8/11/2012
- Channel: 36.5, Rick Barnow, Mined Land, Cherokee Co., 6/3/2003
- *Flathead: 123-0, Ken Paulie, Elk City Reservoir, 5/15/1998
- Blue: 104-0, Bruce Midkiff, Ohio River, 1999 (also Indiana record)
- Channel: 32-0, Kyle Estep, Ohio River, 5/26/2004
- Flathead: 97-0, Esker Carroll, Green River, 6/6/1956
- White: 5.27, Ethen Vest, Guist Creek Lane, 10/11/2016
- Blue: 114-0, Lawson Boyte, Mississippi River, 3/2014
- Channel: 30.31, Harold Clubb, Minor’s Canal, 8/1977
- Flathead: 95-0, Roland Lasseigne, Wax Lake, 7/2007
- White: 6.69, Danny Shores, 7/7/2015
Jacob Vosburgh, 20, of Lexington Park, set a Maryland white catfish record in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Maryland DNR)
- Channel: 27.92, Steven Trent Abell, Upper Potomac River, 7/5/2004
- White: 8.27, Jacob Vosburgh, Southern Potomac River, 6/1/2017
- Channel: 26-8, Dana Dodge, Ashfield Lake, 1989
- White: 9-3, Michael Payne, Baddacook Pond, 1987
- Channel: 40-0, Houghton Lake, 1964
- Flathead: 52-0, Barron Lake (ice fishing), 2014
- Channel: 38-0, Mississippi River, 2/16/1975
- Flathead: 70-0, St. Croix River, 1970
- Blue: 95-0, Dakota Hinson, Mississippi River, 3/16/2009
- Channel: 51-12, Tom Edwards, Lake Tom Bailey, 5/31/1997
- Flathead: 77.7, Matt Bingham, Mississippi River, 4/21/2012
- Blue: 130-0, Greg Bernal, Missouri River, 7/20/2010
- Channel: 34-10, Gerald Siebenmorgen, Lake Jacomo, 10/12/1976
- Flathead: 77-8, Scott Brown, Montrose Lake, 4/28/2003
- Channel: 34.8, Dan Davenport, Fort Peck Reservoir, 7/26/2013
- Blue: 100-8, Raynold Promes, Missouri River, 11/29/1970
- Channel (tie): 41-8, John Cunning, Merritt Reservoir, 7/26/1985; Heather Cunning, Merritt Reservoir, 8/11/1986.
- Flathead: 80-0, William Swanson, Loup Power Canal, 4/16/1988
- Channel: 32-7, Scott Barrett, South Fork Reservoir, 6/27/2011
- White (tie): 17-4, Corey Ryan, Lahontan Reservoir, 6/26/2008; Jose Mendoza, Humboldt River, 9/17/2005
- Channel: 12-4.8, Dave Kellam, Connecticut River, 9/20/2014
- White: 5-11, Zachary Cross, Big Cub Pond, 8/4/1996
- Channel: 33-3, Howard Hudson, Lake Hopatcong, 1978
- White: 14-4, Timothy Jasko, Dallenbach Pond, 2004
- Blue: 54-1/4
- Channel: 36-8
- Flathead: 78-0
Eric Scordo used a nightcrawler to catch New York’s record for channel catfish. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation image)
- Channel: 35-3, Eric Scordo, Lake Ontario, 4/29/17
- White: 10-5, Joe Silicato, New Croton Reservoir, 5/17/1998
North Carolina Catfish Records
- Blue: 117-8, Landon Evans, Lake Gaston, 6/11/2016
- Channel: 23-4, E.J. Bowden, City Lake in Rocky Mount, 9/1/1970
- Flathead: 78-0, Brian Newberger, Cape Fear River, 9/17/2005
- White: 13-0, Jerry Wayne Bentley, Lake James, 5/21/1990
- Channel: 42-1, Tina Willis, Moon Lake, 7/25/2009
- Blue: 96-0, Chris Rolph, Ohio River, 6/11/2009
- Channel: 37.65, Gus Gronowski, LaDue Reservoir, 8/15/1992
- Flathead: 76.5, Richard Affolter, Clendening Lake, 7/28/1979
- Blue: 98-0, Billy Nabors, Texoma, 11/11/2004
- Channel: 35-15, Gary Doak Jr., Taft Lake, 9/11/2005
- Flathead: 78-8, Richard Williams, El Reno City Reservoir, 5/11/2010
- Channel: 36-8, Boone Haddock, McKay Reservoir, 1980
- Flathead: 42-0, Joshua Kralicek, Snake River, 1994
- White: 15-0, Wayne Welch, Tualatin River, 1989
- Channel: 35-2.5, Austin Roth III, Lehigh Canal, 1991
- Flathead: 48-6, James Shabrach, Blue Marsh Spillway, 2006
- White: 16-12, L. Angell, Tiogue Lake, 8/1994
South Carolina Catfish Records
- Blue: 113.8, Paula Haney, Lake Moultrie, 2017
- *Channel: 58-0, W.H. Whaley, Lake Moultrie, 1964
- Flathead: 79-6, Danny Aderhold, Cooper River, 2014
- White: 12-2.9, Charles Earp, Lake Murray, 2014
- Blue: 99-4, Steve Lemmon, Big Sioux River, 7/21/2012
- Channel: 55-0, Roy Groves, James River, 5/18/1949
- Flathead: 63-8, David Holland, James River, 6/18/2006
- Blue: 112-0, Robert Lewis, Lock C, Cumberland River, 6/7/1998
- Channel: 41-0, Clint Walters Jr., Fall Creek Falls Lake, 7/30/1982
- Flathead: 85-15, Larry Kaylor, Hiwassee River, 7/25/1993
- Blue: 121.50, Cody Mullennix, Texoma, 1/16/2004
- Channel: 36.5, Mrs. Joe Cockrell, Pedernales River, 3/7/1965
- Flathead: 98.5, James Laster, Palestine, 12/2/1998
- Channel: 32-8, LeRoy Mortenson, Utah Lake, 1978
- Channel: 35-14.7
The Virginia state record blue catfish is also a world record. (Photo by Dallas Weston; courtesy Virginia DGIF)
- *Blue: 143-0, Nick Anderson, Buggs Island Lake, 6/18/2011
- Channel: 32-0, Hugh Wyatt, Lake Chesdin, 4/28/1980
- Flathead: 66-4, Mike Willems, Occoquan Reservoir, 5/6/1994
- White: 7-6, Thomas Elkins, Western Branch Reservoir 3/24/1992
- Blue: 17.75, Rangle Hawthorne, Columbia River, 7/9/1975
- Channel: 36.2, Ross Kincaid, I-82 Pond #6, 9/6/1999
- Flathead: 22.8, C.L. McCary, Snake River, 6/28/1981
- White: 19.85, Donald Huffman, Walla Walla River, 4/17/2002
- Blue: 59.74, Mark Blauvelt, Ohio River, 2016
- Channel: 33.42, Michael Sears, Patterson Creek, 2005
- Flathead: 70-0, L.L. McClung, Little Kanawha River, 1956
- Channel: 44-0, Larry Volenec, Wisconsin River, 1962
- Flathead: 74-5, Stan Hagensick, Mississippi River, 3/30/2001
Wyoming’s record channel cat was caught in 2017. (Photo by Brandon Chadwick)
- Channel: 28.52, Christian Cosby, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, 6/24/2017
- Flathead: 22.46, Dallas Stanton, North Platte River, 4/18/2004
*IGFA-recognized world record
**IGFA recognizes the world white catfish record (19 pounds, 5 ounces, 2005) as being caught in California, but the state’s official record (22-0, 1994) is heavier
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