The blue catfish state record just got three pounds heavier. James Mitchell landed a 64-and-a-half-pounder while fishing with son and grandson on the Choctawhatchee River near Caryville. After the 10-minute fight, Mitchell needed some assistance to pull the 53-inch- plus behemoth over the gunnels.

James Mitchell, of Caryville, props up his 64.5-pound record blue catfish on a full-size cooler. (Photo by Chris Paxton, FWC)

Mitchell tempted the blue cat with a hand-size bluegill using stout, conventional tackle loaded with 50-pound-test line. “The bigger the bream the better,” Mitchell says. He catches his catfish baits with either a fly rod or cane pole. Within the past couple of months, he’s caught other big cats weighing 40 and 41.5 pounds in the same area.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials were on hand to certify the catch the next day. Fisheries biologists Chris Paxton and Claire Mangum met with Mitchell Tuesday, August 5 in Bonifay and weighed his fish on a certified scale to seal the deal.

Blue catfish are not native to the Panhandle rivers and creeks where they’re caught in Florida, and it’s not entirely known how the fish found their way to Florida from Midwest rivers and tributaries.

Check out the recent article, “Cat’s out the Bag,” in the July Florida Sportsman to learn tips and techniques to target big blue and flathead catfish in north Florida.