FRESHWATER FWC photo by Rebekah Nelson
T
he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called it the “grandaddy of all catfish” on its Facebook page. It’s an apt description for a blue cat that outweighs the existing Florida state record by more than 50 pounds. Running his trotlines on the Panhandle’s Choctawhatchee River in April, Joel Singletary must have known he was in for a workout when he pulled up on the 120-pound behemoth. According to the post, the adrenaline rush that comes with hooking such a huge fish was responsible for Singletary’s ability to haul the big blue into the boat. Because it was caught on a trotline and not on a rod and reel, the fish does not qualify for an official state record to replace the standing 69.5-pounder caught by William Stewart on May 30, 2015. That fish also came from the Choctawhatchee, which speaks to the fishery’s ability to pump out enormous catfish. The IGFA all-tackle world record blue catfish weighed 143 pounds. It was caught by Richard Nicholas Anderson in June of 2011 from Buggs Island (Kerr) Lake, Virginia.
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