Tim Trone of Havana, Fl., is the new state record holder in Georgia for the blue catfish. His catch, weighed 110 lb., 6 oz., beating the previous record by more than 17 pounds, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).
The angler hooked this new state record blue catfish while fishing in a tournament on October 17, 2020 using cut bream as bait. The fish measured out at 58 inches long, and had a 42 inch girth.
“Georgia has such great fishing opportunities, and we love to hear about this kind of exciting news,” said Thom Litts, Chief of Fisheries for the Wildlife Resources Division. “This is our first state record since last April, and I hope it encourages all anglers to get outdoors and Go Fish Georgia!”
Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are one of several types of catfish found in Georgia. The list also includes channel catfish, flathead catfish, white catfish and brown, flat, snail, spotted and yellow bullheads. Blue catfish are a silvery blue color and have a “humped” back, forked tail and small eyes. As with other catfish species, they also can be identified by their lack of scales and the “cat-like” barbels on their mouths that look like cat whiskers.
While they can reach weights over 100 pounds, 1-20 pounds is typical for Georgia. They like fast water in large rivers, reservoirs and tributaries.
Georgia anglers support fisheries conservation! Did you know that your license purchase allows the Georgia WRD to continue to do important research, maintain and operate public fishing areas and more? Purchase a Georgia license at www.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com.
For fishing tips, be sure to check out the weekly Fishing Blog post at https://georgiawildlife.blog/category/fishing/.
Information about state-record fish, including an application and rules, can be found at https://georgiawildlife.com/fishing/recordprogram/rules or in the current Sport Fishing Regulations Guidebook.