Record blue catfish caught on Ohio River in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W. Va. (KDKA) — A woman caught a blue catfish that was more than 4 feet long and weighed over 64 pounds, breaking West Virginia’s state length record. 

Kimberly Feltner of Madison, Indiana, reeled in the massive catch on the Ohio River last month, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources said. She caught it at the R.C. Byrd Pool using cut mooneye bait.

Coming in at 50.82, the catch surpassed the previous record length of 50.7 inches, set in 2022. It didn’t beat the weight record though. Feltner’s blue catfish weighed 64.15 pounds, falling short of the 69.45 pound record. 

“With record-breaking catch after record-breaking catch, it’s no surprise that West Virginia’s world-class fishing continues to attract anglers from all over,” Gov. Jim Justice said in a news release. “I want to congratulate Kimberly Feltner on this amazing catch. It’s yet another example of why folks love coming to West Virginia to fish.”  

West Virginia has reported nine record-breaking catches so far this year. In one case, an angler broke the black crappie length record but it was short-lived because his fishing buddy quickly caught an even bigger one the same day.

“Anglers have broken West Virginia’s blue catfish record multiple times over the last few years, which is a testament to the successful management efforts we’ve implemented,” WVDNR director Brett McMillion said in a press release. “We’re excited to see what other records might be broken as resident and non-resident anglers continue to hear about our waters consistently producing trophy fish.”