Record 69-pound blue catfish caught

Posted on June 5, 2015

Bill Stewart, 66, of Weeki Wachee, caught a 69-pound, 8-ounce blue catfish on the Choctawhatchee River, near Ebro, during the Choctawhatchee Catfish Roundup tournament on May 30. He beat the previous state record by 5 pounds.

Stewart had landed four flatheads and a nice channel catfish before he put the head from a skipjack herring, which he had caught earlier, on a big circle hook. Fortunately, his reel was loaded with 100-pound line because the blue catfish that took the bait a few minutes later was ready for a fight.

Subscribe to our e-Edition and read the rest of the story. Already a subscriber? Click here to sign in.