{"id":426,"date":"2026-05-13T18:37:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:37:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:37:05","slug":"cats-out-of-the-bag-record-blue-catfish-makes-florida-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=426","title":{"rendered":"Cat\u2019s out of the bag: Record blue catfish makes Florida history"},"content":{"rendered":"

DIXIE COUNTY, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>This cat’s out of the bag and into the record books.<\/p>

Florida Wildlife Commission biologists confirmed a new Florida<\/u> state-record blue catfish<\/u> caught in the Suwannee River.<\/p>

Read more Missing Florida baby and teen safely located after statewide alert<\/a><\/p>

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A 73.6-pound blue catfish from the Suwannee River is now the official state record after being certified by FWC biologists.<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

The monster 73.6-pound blue catfish was reeled in by Justin Hodge on Feb. 21, 2026, in Dixie County. It measured 48.5 inches in length with a girth of 36.75 inches.<\/p>

Hodge’s historic<\/u> fish broke the previous record set in 2015, when an angler caught a 69.5-pound blue catfish in the Choctawhatchee River in Washington County.<\/p>

<\/div>

WATCH: RABID BEAVER FOUGHT OFF AFTER ATTACKING SEVERAL PEOPLE IN NEW JERSEY PARK<\/u><\/strong><\/p>

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA<\/u>, the freshwater fish is native to the Mississippi<\/u>, Missouri<\/u> and Ohio<\/u> River basins, and has been stocked for fishing in nearly 20 states.<\/p>

The Suwannee River, where the record cat was apprehended, is a more than 200-mile-long blackwater river that runs through south Georgia<\/u> southward into Florida.<\/p>

In Florida, when anglers reel in what they suspect might be a record fish \u2013 the path to the record books is a meticulous one.<\/p>

Read more Over 250 illegal gambling machines, $120K seized in Operation Silent Spin<\/a><\/p>

When a potential record fish is caught, anglers arrange with the Florida Wildlife Commission<\/u> to have an employee witness the official weigh, on a certified scale and take measurements.<\/p>

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According to the NOAA, many anglers like fishing for blue catfish because they are strong, savvy fish that are a good challenge. (NOAA)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

For any fish other than a largemouth bass, a FWC fisheries biologist must certify the species by physically witnessing and inspecting the fish.<\/p>

With the record officially verified by a biologist, Hodge\u2019s massive blue catfish now stands atop the leader board as the largest of its kind ever caught in the Sunshine State.<\/p>

COCAINE POLLUTION HAS SHARKS AND SALMON OFF THE RAILS \u2014 AND IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT<\/u><\/strong><\/p>

Blue catfish are not only prized for their size, but also valued as a flavorful and nutritious catch, in addition to being a strong, savvy fish that puts up a good fight.<\/p>

Whether Hodge chose to mount his record-breaking fish or serve it at the table remains unknown, but one thing is certain\u2014the catch secures its place as the largest blue catfish ever recorded in Florida.<\/p>

Read more St. Petersburg police seek men after \u2018brutal attack\u2019<\/a><\/p>

Read more at FOXWeather.com.\u00a0<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This cat’s out of the bag and into the record books.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,146],"tags":[26,147],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida","category-wild-nature","tag-florida","tag-wild-nature"],"yoast_head":"\nCat\u2019s out of the bag: Record blue catfish makes Florida history - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=426\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cat\u2019s out of the bag: Record blue catfish makes Florida history - Tampa moving journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This cat's out of the bag and into the record books.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=426\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tampa moving journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-13T18:37:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c81144370a0ff7c1620fb4b2b0408c3a.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"932\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"524\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78095676a3b6259b7b3bc65f6997dc2a\"},\"headline\":\"Cat\u2019s out of the bag: Record blue catfish makes Florida history\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-13T18:37:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426\"},\"wordCount\":435,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ef9419ce3964f87ad40fd13e470b759c.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Florida\",\"Wild Nature\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Florida\",\"Wild Nature\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tampamovingjournal.com\\\/?p=426\",\"name\":\"Cat\u2019s out of the bag: Record blue catfish makes Florida history - 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