Steve Price holds his 50.7-inch, 67.22-pound state record blue catfish. (Photo courtesy of West Virginia DNR)
May 26, 2022
By Game & Fish Staff
There’s been a run on record blue catfish in West Virginia.
Less than two months after Cody Carver broke the record with a 61.28-pounder caught April 8 from the Marmet Pool of the Kanawha River, Steve Price of Lancaster, Ohio, went even bigger with a trophy fish that broke state records for both weight and length.
Price’s 67.22-pound blue catfish, caught in the R.C. Byrd Pool of the Kanawha on May 25, was almost six pounds heavier than Carver’s standard, and at 50.7 inches long, it beat the previous length record of 50.15 inches, set by Justin Goode in 2021.
The record fish was released back into the river.
Price used cut bait to catch the monster fish. He was fishing from a boat on the lower section of the Kanawha between Buffalo and Point Pleasant. The record catch was certified by WVDNR Hatchery Manager Ryan Bosserman.
Anglers who believe they may have caught a state record fish should check the current records in the fishing regulations at wvdnr.gov. Procedures for reporting a record catch also are included in the regulations.
Read about more West Virginia records