SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced that another catfish record has been broken in the state.
The 17-year record for the largest channel catfish caught in West Virginia was broken fittingly on West Virginia Day, June 20, during free fishing weekend.
Allen Burkett of Criders, Va., caught the record channel catfish that weighed 36.96 pounds and measured 40.59 inches in length. The DNR said he was fishing with chicken liver from the shore of South Mill Creek Lake in Grant County. Burkett’s record fish was measured by DNR fishery biologist, Brandon Keplinger.
The previous record channel catfish of 33.42 pounds and 40.3 inches was caught by Michael Sears in 2005 at Patterson Creek.
This record-breaking fish joins a long list of other big catch records that have been broken in 2022, including:
- Heaviest catfish, caught in the Kanawha River
- Largest musky, caught in the Little Kanawha River
- Longest carp, caught in Preston County
Prior to the catfish record being set in May, it was also broken in April, although the record only stood for one month.