Kansas Just Certified a New Record Blue Catfish, and It’s a Giant

This spring Daniel Mayer of Agency, Missouri, caught a 121.1-pound blue catfish while fishing the Kansas side of the Missouri River. Although the news hit social media in May, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks just announced Friday that it had officially accepted the record.

Mayer’s blue catfish taped out at 59.75 inches long and was caught using common carp as bait. His new state-record catch easily outstripped the Kansas record that had stood since 2012, a 102.8-pound blue catfish caught by Robert Stanley of Olathe.

Mayer regularly fishes blue catfish tournaments, and competes in 10 to 15 per year. While pre-fishing for an upcoming tournament, he spent more than 10 hours on the river. He reportedly struggled early in the day on May 15 before finding a groove. Around 9:30 p.m., he hooked what would become his first-ever blue catfish over 100 pounds.

“I’ve caught some big fish over the years, but this was my first ‘century’ fish,” Mayer told KDWP. “When I finally got it in the boat … I knew it was over 100 pounds, but I had no idea just how big it really was.”

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Mayer, who was fishing by himself, had a job wrestling the 121-pound fish into his boat. Ultimately fisheries biologist at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks helped Mayer weigh his fish on a certified scale and verified Mayer’s catch. In May, Mayer posted a photo to Facebook that showed a digital scale display that read 121.10 pounds, but KDPW told OL this spring that it would be at least a month before they would publicly verify the catch.

While Mayer just missed out on a $20,000 prize offered by Catch the Fever — a rod company that offers payouts for state-record fish caught on its equipment — he’s still thrilled to have made Kansas fishing history.

“As a trophy blue catfish angler, you dream of moments like this,” Mayer said. “It still feels surreal.”