The fisherman caught a giant catfish. This is how much the fish weighed

Joe Driggers – a resident of Florence – went to the Big Pee Dee in the first half of June this year. He and his friends were relaxing on the riverbank – until a giant flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) – a specimen from the catfish family (Ictaluridae) – it did not take the bait on the hook. The fishing rod literally started “dancing”.

The editorial team of the Carolina Sportsman portal reported the details.

The fisherman initially thought that the hook was grabbed by a fish half his size

– At first I thought it was a specimen weighing 60-65 pounds (or approximately 27-29.5 kilograms – editor’s note). (…) I finally got him on board. Back then, I still didn’t realize how big this fish was, he said.

A foreign portal reported that a biologist was called to the scene fifteen minutes later. The fish was then weighed on certified equipment.

The monitor showed as much as 113.7 pounds (over 51.5 kilograms). The official confirmation of the record by representatives of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources was only a formality in this case.

No one has been able to break these records for years

On the occasion of the feat achieved by Driggers, we would like to remind you about the records that were set years ago in the USA. Anglers can’t beat them!

Instructions (from the left: name of the fish, weight, angler and his place of residence, date of catch and water reservoir from which the specimen was taken).

Black Catfish (Ameiurus melas) – 4 lb 10 oz (2.10 kg) – Ian Radler (Palmerton) – 2011 – Beltzville Lake, Carbon County.

Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) – 35 lb 3 oz (15.96 kg) – Austin Roth (Bowmanstown) – 1991 – Lehigh Canal, Northampton County.

Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) – 66 lb 6 oz (30.11 kg) – Michael Wherley (Fayetteville) – 2023 – Susquehanna River, Lancaster County.

Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) – 4 lb 3 oz (1.90 kg) – Richard Pino (Covington) – 2000 – Hammond Lake, Tioga County.