A Texas fisherman has potentially shattered a decades-old record at Twin Buttes Reservoir after reeling in a massive blue catfish weighing over 50 pounds.
According to the San Angelo district of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries, Jason Burns landed the impressive catch on Friday, Jan. 31. The fish tipped the scales at 53.65 pounds and measured an astonishing 44 inches in length.
Burns’ catch is now under review as the pending waterbody record for Twin Buttes Reservoir. If officially recognized, it will surpass the previous record set in 2002 by John De la Cerda, whose catfish weighed 52.5 pounds and measured 42 inches long.
Adding to the excitement, the record-breaking catfish was successfully released back into the reservoir, giving other anglers the chance to hook the same giant in the future.
This isn’t the first time a blue catfish caught in February has rewritten the record books at Twin Buttes. In February 2024, junior angler Jaxon Yoakum landed a 51.5-pound, 46-inch-long blue catfish, surpassing the prior record set in 2021.
Blue catfish are known for their impressive size, commonly reaching 20 to 40 pounds, with some exceeding 100 pounds in waters where they thrive, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
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