The 113-pound ‘river monster’ that put a South Carolina lake on the map

The post Heavier than a wild hog: The 113-pound ‘river monster’ that put a South Carolina lake on the map appeared first on AZ Animals.

Quick pick up

• South Carolina’s largest rod and reel blue catfish weighed 113.8 pounds and was caught in Lake Moultrie in 2017.

• An even larger 136-pound blue catfish was taken from Lake Moultrie on a trot line, but did not qualify for the state record.

• The blue catfish is the largest species of catfish native to North America and can grow more than 5 feet.

South Carolina is widely known for its great fishing opportunities. Anglers from all over the state and beyond enjoy setting up in their favorite spots to haul freshwater and saltwater fish out of the waters. This state, located along the Atlantic Ocean, has been home to some truly enormous catches of trophy fish. Discover the largest blue catfish ever caught in South Carolina and find out where it was caught and how long ago the angler set the record!

About the blue catfish

Blue catfish are the largest species of catfish in North America. The fish are native to the Mississippi River watershed, but have been introduced to many other lakes and rivers in the United States. The species has been widely introduced outside its native range and now occurs in numerous southeastern mid-Atlantic states and beyond.

These finned fish can weigh between 25 and 150 pounds while growing between 24 and 65 inches. Despite their name, the fish can appear from a silvery blue to an olive color along the sides with a white bottom. They are known for having deeply forked tails, flat dorsal fins, and four pairs of barbels near the mouth.

These fish prefer to live in the main channels of medium and large rivers, along with large pools with a current and a certain depth. They prefer areas with sandy, gravel or mud bottoms.

These fish are much loved by anglers because they fight so hard when on the line, presenting a real challenge to those who catch them. For a state with so many people who love to catch fish, it should come as no surprise that anglers have found some big ones in South Carolina waters.

What was the largest blue catfish ever caught in South Carolina?

The largest blue catfish ever caught in South Carolina weighed 113.8 pounds and was caught by a fisherman named Paula D. Haney of Liberty, South Carolina. She pulled the record-setting fish from Lake Moultrie in 2017, surpassing the previous record.

The blue catfish that Paula D. Haney caught was 113.8 pounds, 52 inches long and 40 inches. Haney was fishing the lower end of the lake using blue herring as bait. The fish took the bait around 9:30 in relatively shallow water that was probably 10 feet deep. She angrily tossed the fish before taking it alongside the pontoon boat she and her husband had used to get out on the water.

When the fish got close enough, they brought him aboard. Paula and her husband knew they had something special on the line, and a biologist later confirmed it was the largest rod-and-reel catfish in the state.

The previous record belonged to a man named George Lijewski. He caught a massive catfish in 1991 that weighed 109.4 kilograms.

Where is Lake Moultrie?

Lake Moultrie is located in south-central South Carolina in Berkeley County. The lake is located in Berkeley County, about 30 miles north of downtown Charleston and is accessible via US Route 52.

Lake Moultrie is one of the largest lakes in South Carolina, with approximately 60,400 acres of surface water and a maximum depth of approximately 75 feet. The lake has an average depth of about 19 feet.

The lake is a popular attraction for locals, especially those who enjoy fishing. They come to this lake to catch blue catfish, largemouth bass, channel catfish and more. Several record-setting fish have been caught in these waters. An angler named WH Whaley caught a 58-pound channel catfish from this lake in 1964, a catch that has long been recognized as one of the largest channel catfish ever recorded.

So catching big fish in this lake is not uncommon at all.

An even bigger blue catfish was caught before

Although the record books clearly state that Paula D. Haney’s 113.8-pound blue catfish is the largest ever caught in the state, another entry could just as easily exist with an asterisk. Two anglers named Leland Selph and Jimmy Dowling caught a blue catfish weighing 136 pounds 6 ounces. The fish was 56 inches long and had a girth of 42 inches.

Oddly enough, this monster fish has also been caught on Lake Moultrie. Unfortunately, the anglers caught the fish on a 150-hook trot rather than a hook. This method disqualified the fish from appearing in the record books.

The catch was impressive though, as the men had to pull the fish out of the water without losing it. That catch also shows that much larger fish than the state record lurk underwater at Lake Moultrie.

How does the biggest blue catfish compare to a wild pig?

The original comparison of the largest blue catfish versus a wild hog is somewhat apt. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average feral hog weighs somewhere between 75 and 250 pounds. There are also much larger specimens. So the record-setting blue catfish in South Carolina might weigh more than a small feral hog. At the very least, it would be harder and longer. So the 113.8 kilogram blue catfish would weigh about the same as a small wild pig, although their body shapes and proportions are very different.

The largest blue catfish ever caught in South Carolina using a hook and line was simply massive. However, trolling has shown that fish bigger and heavier than the record holder exist in the famous Moultrie Lake. Anglers continue to rise to the challenge of catching these incredibly large specimens. With so many record-setting fish caught in these waters, it’s not unlikely that some anglers will set a new record. When they do, the odds seem pretty good that the record-setting fish will be taken from the same lake!

The post Heavier than a wild hog: The 113-pound ‘river monster’ that put a South Carolina lake on the map appeared first on AZ Animals.