Giant 73-pound blue catfish landed in Fla. river sets state record

Cat’s out of the bag: Record blue catfish makes Florida history

This cat's out of the bag and into the record books.

Record-setting blue catfish caught in Suwannee River | New Florida Record 🎣

The record-setting blue catfish weighed in at 73.6 pounds and measures 48.5 inches in length with a girth of 36.75 inches.

Massive 73-pound blue catfish catch breaks record in Florida

The blue catfish was found in the Suwannee River and broke the previous record set in 2015.

Giant 73-pound blue catfish landed in Fla. river sets state record

It's no secret giant catfish lurk in the waters of Florida's rivers, but a newly caught specimen revealed on Tuesday is in a class by itself. 

'Shocked at What We Caught.' Florida Fisherman Pulls in a New State-Record Catfish on His Home River

Justin Hodge grew up fishing the Suwannee River with his dad and grandpa, setting bush hooks (a.k.a. limb lines) for gators and catfish. They’ve always caught decent-sized channels and blue cats there, but this past winter, they started thinking more about the Suwannee’s true potential. “Me and my dad got to talking about how the river ain’t never went dry,” Hodge says, “and how there’s got to be some bigger fish in there.” Between Feb. 9 and 13…