Ohio teenager catches record-breaking 101-pound blue catfish
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A teenager set a state record in Ohio after catching a massive blue catfish this month.
Jaylynn Parker, 15, from New Richmond Ohio, caught a 101-pound blue catfish on April 7 in Clermont County while jug fishing on the Ohio River, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The fish was so heavy that the 15-year-old needed help from her father and a family friend to pull it in.
The Outdoor Writers of Ohio confirmed the record-breaking catch in a post on Instagram. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the organization has maintained fishing records in Ohio since the 1940s.
Parker's 101-pound fish measured in at 56.5 inches long and 39.5 inches around. The previous record for blue catfish in Ohio was set by Chris Rolph of Williamsburg, Ohio, on June 11, 2009, according to the Outdoor Writers of Ohio's Instagram post. The Outdoor Writer of Ohio said Rolph caught a 96-pound fish that was 54.5 inches long while fishing on the Ohio River.
"Ohio's record fish are determined on the basis of weight only by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio with assistance from fisheries biologists with the Ohio Division of Wildlife," the organization's Instagram post said.
According to NOAA Fisheries, blue catfish are native to the Ohio River Basin. The fish are "bottom-dwellers that prefer large rivers with deep channels, swift currents, and sandy bottoms."