2 state-record blue catfish caught on consecutive days

North Carolina guide Zakk Royce landed this 105-pound state-record blue catfish a day after catching a 91-pounder — which also broke the existing state record.

91-pounder topped when N.C. angler catches 105-pound blue

What’s the biggest catfish you’ve ever caught? Well, odds are pretty good it can’t hold a candle to two blue catfish a North Carolina angler landed in on consecutive days — setting a state record with each catch.

The first catfish was caught Dec. 20 and weighed 91 pounds, with yesterday’s monster blue coming in at 105 pounds.

The incredible run came at North Carolina’s Lake Gaston, and the angler was guide Zakk Royce.

“The fish just would not fit in my landing net,” Royce said of the 105-pounder. “We had to reach in and put our arms under the fish and lift it in. It was a really nervous moment because of all the things that could go wrong.

“But we got him in and gave each other high fives. There were even some people on their dock cheering for us.”

Both fish — which were released after being officially weighed — easily exceeded the current state-record blue catfish, an 89-pounder caught by Eric Fincher from Basin Lake in 2006.

Click here to read the full story on the incredible catches on our sister site.

About Andy Crawford 279 Articles
Andy Crawford has spent nearly his entire career writing about and photographing Louisiana’s hunting and fishing community. While he has written for national publications, even spending four years as a senior writer for B.A.S.S., Crawford never strayed far from the pages of Louisiana Sportsman. Learn more about his work at www.AndyCrawford.Photography.

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