Channel Cat Record Broken in West Virginia

They’re continuing to re-write the catfish fishing records book in West Virginia.

Following reports of record-breaking blue catfish being landed in the Natural State — twice, in fact — comes a late-June catch that broke the long-standing channel catfish record.

Allen Burkett’s 36.96-pound channel catfish caught on June 20 at South Mill Creek Lake in Grant County broke a 17-year-old record, the West Virginia DNR said.

The previous record channel catfish of 33.42 pounds (40.3 inches) was caught in 2005 by Michael Sears at Patterson Creek. Burkett, of Criders, Va., caught the record with chicken liver as bait. Burkett’s big cat measured 40.59 inches long.

Big catfish have highlighted West Virginia fishing this year. In less than two months this spring, the state blue catfish record was broken twice.

Cody Carver’s 61.28-pound blue caught on April 8 from the Marmet Pool of the Kanawha River. Carver, of Dry Branch, W.V., caught the fish from a boat using cut shad for bait.

Steve Price of Lancaster, Ohio, went even bigger on May 25, with a 67.22-pound blue catfish, caught in the R.C. Byrd Pool of the Kanawha River.

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