Chris Andrews knew he had hooked into a big catfish, but he didn’t know how big until trying to land it with his “smaller net than usual.”
After multiple tries, Andrews landed a 48-pound, 7.2-ounce blue catfish that eclipsed the old Delaware state record by a mere 4 ounces. It was the fourth state record of the year in Delaware’s Sport Fishing Tournament, according to the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Earlier this month, Andrews was fishing at night with friends on the Nanticoke River when he made the catch.
“Fishing is a big part of my life – I go out about three times a week, so I guess you’d say I’m an avid fisherman,” Andrews told the Division of Fish and Wildlife. “I knew it was a big one, just not how big.
“I got the fish up and close to the boat multiple times, but it would just take off pulling my drag. I had a smaller net than usual, so it took multiple tries (to get it into the boat). After about a 5-minute fight, the fish was landed.”
Sgt. Nathan Evans of the Delaware Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Police certified the record, which was weighed on a certified scale at the Taylored Tackle Shop in Seaford. The previous record was set in 2022 by James Lord.
Andrews caught the blue catfish using cut bait.
