North Carolina Sees Yet Another Catfish State Record Broken

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It’s become a bit of a running joke that every few weeks, North Carolina is going to see a new state record catfish.

While that is obviously an embellishment, the Tarheel State has produced more than its fair share of record over the past twenty months.

During the height of the 2020 pandemic, anglers broke bother the North Carolina blue catfish and flat head state records within a matter of weeks.

In July, Rocky Baker’s 127.1 pound blue cat became the fifth North Carolina record of its species in as many years.

Now, an angler from Hubert, NC, has “completed the trifecta,” adding a new North Carolina state record channel catfish the mix.

North Carolina State Record Channel Catfish
Tanner Rudolph holds up his new North Carolina state record channel catfish (Photo via North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission)

Tanner Rudolph’s 26 pound channel catfish, caught on the Neuse River on July 17, was officially confirmed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and shared on the department’s social media channels on August 11.

Rudolph’s channel cat weighed an impressive 26 pounds with a 22 3/4 inch girth. It also measured an astounding 38 5/8 inches in length!

Rudolph’s catch also shatters the long-standing North Carolina channel catfish state record. The previous record was held by E.J. Bowden, who caught his nearly 51-year record on a shrimp back in 1970!

Bowden’s record weighed 23 pounds, 4 ounces and was caught on City Lake in Rocky Mount.

Santee-Cooper Reservoir in neighboring South Carolina still holds the world record for channel catfish, however. An enormous 58 pound channel cat was pulled from the lake back in 1964.

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