Massive 122-pound catfish caught in Tennessee breaks state record
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Yueke
Mon, Jul 8, 2024
PHOTO: Yueke
A man from Tennessee broke the blue catfish state record for a second time.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) confirmed that Micka Burkhart, 44, of Big Rock, Tennessee, caught a catfish that weighed 122 pounds and three ounces.
Burkhart caught the record-breaking catfish from the Cumberland River, and it measured 57.5 inches in length and 42.5 inches in girth, according to a press release issued on Thursday, July 13.
The TWRA explained that Burkhart caught his latest record breaker on Wednesday, June 28, but the certification and official record process was completed on Tuesday, July 11.
"This whole situation with this fish has been so amazing. It's hard to put into words how I feel," Burkhart wrote to Fox News Digital in a Facebook message on Friday.
"The attention has been a little overwhelming, but I take one day at a time," he continued.
Burkhart’s current record catfish outweighed the 118-pound catfish he caught from the Barkley Reservoir in September 2022 by four pounds and three ounces, according to the TWRA.
Both of Burkhart’s record catfish were reportedly released.
"I'm definitely so grateful that the good Lord blessed me not once but twice with a fish of a lifetime," Burkhart wrote.
Blue catfish are a coastal and inland fish that can be found in many states throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.
The NOAA reports that blue catfish have a lifespan that’s typically between nine and 10 years, but some have lived up to 25 years.
On average, blue catfish are less than two feet in length, though some can grow to five feet, according to the NOAA.
In terms of appearance, blue catfish are silvery-blue in color with a white belly, and they have smooth skin that lacks scales, according to the NOAA.
The species can also be identified by their flat dorsal fins, deeply forked tails, and four pairs of black whisker-like barbels around their mouths.
Blue catfish have become a popular game fish because the species has been shown to be "strong," "savvy," and "a good challenge," according to the NOAA.
The world’s largest blue catfish caught on record weighed 143 pounds. It was reeled in from Kerr Lake, located between North Carolina and Virginia, in 2011, according to records kept by the International Game Fish Association, a nonprofit organization that maintains angling records.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) confirmed that Micka Burkhart, 44, of Big Rock, Tennessee, caught a catfish that weighed 122 pounds and three ounces.
Burkhart caught the record-breaking catfish from the Cumberland River, and it measured 57.5 inches in length and 42.5 inches in girth, according to a press release issued on Thursday, July 13.
The TWRA explained that Burkhart caught his latest record breaker on Wednesday, June 28, but the certification and official record process was completed on Tuesday, July 11.
"This whole situation with this fish has been so amazing. It's hard to put into words how I feel," Burkhart wrote to Fox News Digital in a Facebook message on Friday.
"The attention has been a little overwhelming, but I take one day at a time," he continued.
Burkhart’s current record catfish outweighed the 118-pound catfish he caught from the Barkley Reservoir in September 2022 by four pounds and three ounces, according to the TWRA.
Both of Burkhart’s record catfish were reportedly released.
"I'm definitely so grateful that the good Lord blessed me not once but twice with a fish of a lifetime," Burkhart wrote.
Blue catfish are a coastal and inland fish that can be found in many states throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.
The NOAA reports that blue catfish have a lifespan that’s typically between nine and 10 years, but some have lived up to 25 years.
On average, blue catfish are less than two feet in length, though some can grow to five feet, according to the NOAA.
In terms of appearance, blue catfish are silvery-blue in color with a white belly, and they have smooth skin that lacks scales, according to the NOAA.
The species can also be identified by their flat dorsal fins, deeply forked tails, and four pairs of black whisker-like barbels around their mouths.
Blue catfish have become a popular game fish because the species has been shown to be "strong," "savvy," and "a good challenge," according to the NOAA.
The world’s largest blue catfish caught on record weighed 143 pounds. It was reeled in from Kerr Lake, located between North Carolina and Virginia, in 2011, according to records kept by the International Game Fish Association, a nonprofit organization that maintains angling records.
An alligator gar in Texas has earned one fisherman an award from state authorities.
John Harrington earned an "Outstanding Angler Award" from the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) division for his catch in July.
The wildlife agency announced Harrington’s noteworthy alligator gar on Friday, Aug. 25, in a public Facebook post.
"John Harrington caught this GAR-gantuan alligator gar out of the water on July 18 with a rod and reel," the TPWD wrote in its Facebook announcement.
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"He earned an Outstanding Angler Award for his incredible catch," the post continued. "The gar was released to swim another day."
Exact measurements of Harrington’s alligator gar are not known since the angler did not have any weight or length data that could be verified, a spokesperson for the TPWD told Fox News Digital.
"The angler did not have any weight or length data that we could verify, so he earned an Outstanding Angler Award to commemorate his amazing catch," the TPWD’s spokesperson wrote in an email.
Alligator gars are a species that can tolerate a wide range of salinity, according to multiple wildlife encyclopedias and glossaries.
Fish identification guides published by the TPWD state that alligator gar have "short" and "wide" snouts that have a "distinct" appearance, which many say resembles that of an alligator when viewed from above.
"Alligator gar can be huge, reaching lengths of up to 10 feet and weighing over 300 pounds," the TPWD wrote in its "How to Identify Alligator Gar" webpage.
"It is the second-largest freshwater fish in North America, second only to the white sturgeon," the TPWD continued.
In May 2023, the TPWD recognized another angler for breaking the alligator gar record in Lake Corpus Christi with a 90-inch, 207-pound catch.
The Texas state record for an alligator gar caught by rod-and-reel is 279 pounds, and it was established on Jan. 1, 1951, by angler Bill Valverde, who caught the fish from the Rio Grande.
The TPWD also has verified records of alligator gar that have been caught using various methods, including fly rods (56.25 inches, 40.7 pounds), bow and arrows (96 inches, 290 pounds), catch-and-release rod-and-reels (89 inches), and other means (302 pounds, 90 inches).
The current world record for the largest alligator gar belongs to Kenny Williams of Vicksburg, Mississippi, who accidentally caught a 327-pound alligator gar that was over 8 feet in length from Lake Chotard in 2011, according to the TPWD.
The alligator gar got tangled in Williams’ fishing net before he caught it with a rod and reel. Experts estimated the world-record fish was around 95 years old.
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