A new 15-year-old Richmond girl may have landed the largest blue catfish ever caught in Ohio.
Jaylynn Parker, a sophomore at New Richmond High School, caught the 101.11-pound fish in the Ohio River on Monday, her family said.
“I’ve been going fishing with my dad, Chuck Parker, since I was little and it’s always been one of my favorite things to do,” Jaylynn said. “In recent years we have started juggling on the Ohio River when it occasionally floods and we have had a lot of success doing that.”
Jugging or floating fishing involves tying a baited hook to a large float, such as a milk jug, and waiting for the fish to take the bait. Fish can be landed by pulling on the jug or float.
Jaylynn said her father and their family friend, Jeff Sams, helped her retrieve the fish because it weighed almost as much as she did. In a statement, she thanked them both for their support.
It took two people to bring the Leviathan back into the river. Sams and Jaylynn jumped into the river to celebrate after releasing the catfish.
“I can’t wait to see where my fishing adventures take me and hope to catch a bigger one soon!” » said Jaylynn.
She’s still waiting for confirmation from the state that her fish, which measured 56 inches long and 39 inches in diameter, is the largest ever caught in Ohio.
The Ohio record for a blue catfish is currently 96 pounds held by Chris Rolph of Williamsburg who caught the 54 1/2 inch fish in the Ohio River on June 11, 2009. The world record is a fish -143-pound blue cat measuring nearly 57 inches collected from a Virginia lake in 2011.
The Enquirer contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. As of 10 a.m., the agency had not responded to requests for comment.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio catfish record? 15-year-old catches monster while jug fishing
yahoo
