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ANGLER NETS STATE, WORLD RECORDS
WITH 104-LB. CATFISH
The Ohio River holds some very large fish. Just ask Owensboro resident Bruce Midkiff who recently caught the fish of a lifetime.
Midkiff was fishing with a live skipjack herring when he caught a whopping 104-pound blue catfish August 28, 1999. A catch-and-release angler, Midkiff later released the fish, but not before contacting a Kentucky fishery biologist to have the catch verified for consideration as a new state record.
David Bell, District Fishery Biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, verified the catch and informed Midkiff that he did indeed have a record. The 104-pound fish measured 551/8 inches long and had a girth of 37¼ inches. After filling out an application and taking some photographs, Midkiff released the fish in very good shape.
Not only has the catch been accepted as Kentucky’s new state record blue catfish, it is also being claimed as an Indiana state record. Since it was caught in a waterway shared by Kentucky and Indiana both states can acknowledge it as a record. The catfish also qualifies for Kentucky’s Trophy Fish/Master Angler Program.
Midkiff’s fish replaces the record held by Benton’s J.E. Copeland for a 100-pounder caught from the tailwaters of Kentucky Dam in 1970.
This fishing tale gets better. In the 10 years he’s been pursuing catfish, Midkiff’s goal has been to catch a world record. He may have succeeded. His latest catch stands to be recognized as a 50-pound-line class record by both the International Game Fish Association and the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. It also qualifies as the Hall of Fame’s all-tackle catch-and-release record for the blue catfish category. Midkiff’s catch came close to beating the Hall’s all-tackle blue cat record which stands at 111 pounds.
Using a 7-foot medium action rod and baitcasting reel loaded with 50-pound-test line, Midkiff hooked into the record-breaker. Midkiff said there wasn’t a big tug on the line, just a few light taps. He set the hook and the struggle began.
"He’d run about 20 yards and I’d choke down on him," Midkiff said. "That rod was bent double all the time. I just wore him out."
Reeling the fish in to the boat was just half the fight. Fishing alone, the angler didn’t have any help getting the fish in the boat. He tried using a net a few times, but the fish’s massive weight was just too much. The big ol’ cat would just slip right out. Since he planned to release the fish, Midkiff knew he couldn’t use a gaff. Finally, Midkiff donned a rubber glove and stuck his hand in the fish’s mouth. Grabbing the gill plate on one side of its head with the other hand, he heaved the fish aboard.
The lifelong angler has rigged up a 100-gallon horse trough as a livewell on his boat. It’s outfitted with an oxygen bottle and pumps designed to keep fish alive. This is where Midkiff kept the catfish while going through the process of getting it verified for the state record program. Afterwards he took the fish to the boat ramp in Owensboro and let it go.
Uploaded: 9/23/1999
Uploaded: 9/23/1999