Nebraska angler lands Iowa record blue catfish

Des Moines, Iowa. — The Iowa DNR confirmed a new state record blue catfish was caught this month. The fish, which weighed 105 pounds and was 60 inches long, was reeled in by Nebraska resident George Thompson, who was fishing on the Missouri River near the Nebraska-Iowa state line on Oct. 12.

The previous record was held by Mike Rush who caught a 53-inch, 101-pound blue cat on the Missouri River in Mills County in June 2004. Iowa DNR reported that Thompson battled his monster catch for 35 minutes before he was able to bring it in using a rod and reel.

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To have the fish certified as the new record-holder, Thomson kept it in a large live well with diffused oxygen while traveling to a certified scale.

After it was weighed, Thompson released the fish back into the Missouri River where the Iowa DNR says the blue catfish population is wild and not stocked. The Iowa DNR says blue catfish are among the biggest fish in Iowa, but ones this size are rare. Most adults that anglers will find weigh between 20 to 25 pounds.