SCOTLAND NECK, N.C. — A North Carolina man reeled in a record-setting 127.1-pound blue catfish Saturday night.
Rocky Baker, with help from friend Justin Clifton, landed the fish before netting it once it was near the boat, WITN reported.
Baker said it took about 20 minutes to land the leviathan.
Baker shattered the previous record of 121.9 pounds that was set July 4, 2020, according to Carolina Sportsman. It is the third-largest blue catfish ever caught in the U.S.
“We knew from the get-go based on the way we have our drags set,” he told Carolina Sportsman. “It slammed it, and it was rocking and rolling, pulling drag right off to start with. So we immediately knew it was a good fish. It crossed the river, left to right, a total of six times.”
The two did not go out in search of a record-setting catch.
“We were going to fish all night,” Baker said. “But once we got that big one in the boat and it bottomed out my 110-pound scale, we had a feeling it might be a new state record. A friend brought us a big tank that we could keep the fish alive in, and he had a bigger scale. We weighed it again on that scale and then we felt like we needed to get to a certified scale.”
Clifton said, “The night started off strong when we landed the first fish of the night at 51 pounds, but after a few more fish were caught, nothing could’ve ever prepared us for what was to come next. When that Mad Katz rod bent over, we would’ve never expected that the new North Carolina state record blue cat would’ve been on the other end of the line.
Baker used a Mad Katz orange catfish down rod that was partially designed by Clifton. The fish was taken to E-Z Bait and Tackle, where it was weighed and certified.
“We hope that this monster continues to grow and prosper in the waters of our amazing state,” the bait shop said on social media.
Baker and Clifton then drove the fish back to the Roanoke River to release it.
“That meant so much to me to see it swim off,” Baker said. “After what that fish went through, I just didn’t know if it was going to happen. But we got it back in the water and in just a few minutes, it swam off on its own. And that was a huge relief to me, watching it swim off.”