iStockphoto / abadonian
A 9-year-old in Texas absolutely demolished the previous junior fishing record for this species, blue catfish. The previous record on this body of water in Texas was just 9 pounds and Jaxon Yoakum reeled in a 51.5 pound blue catfish for his new Texas fishing record.
The fish was caught on while they were fishing on the Twin Buttes Reservoir which is just a few miles outside of the city of San Angelo. It’s a popular central Texas fishing spot for largemouth bass, white bass, a couple different species of catfish, and crappie.
This is by far the most exciting catch out of the Twin Buttes Reservoir in a while. And it is a new Texas fishing record according to the San Angelo District of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division who announced the record-setting blue catfish catch last week.
51.5 Pound Blue Catfish Is A New Texas Fishing Record
As mentioned, the previous junior record for blue catfish (for the 9yo division) was just 9 pounds. This fish came in over 42 pounds heavier than that and demolished the previous blue catfish record in Texas. Overall, the junior fishing record in Texas was 50.75 pounds so this broke the overall junior fishing record in Texas for blue catfish as well.
Blue catfish grow to enormous sizes. The IGFA all tackle fishing world record for blue catfish is a 143 pound fish caught in Virginia back in 2011.
This angler was SO CLOSE to setting a new IGFA small fry world record for blue catfish. The IGFA keeps two separate categories for youth, Smallfry and Junior, and Smallfry is 10 and younger. At 9 years old, he qualifies for the smallfry division but the IGFA smallfry world record for blue catfish is 54 pounds 9 ounces so he’s just off the mark with his 51.5 pound fish.