Kansas State Record Blue Catfish

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) recently certified a new Kansas state record blue catfish. In May 2025, Daniel Mayer caught the record setting 121.1 pound blue catfish. The monster fish measured 59.75 inches in length.

Mayer caught the monster catfish while fishing the Kansas side of the Missouri River using a rod and reel with common carp as bait.

Blue catfish are the largest American catfish. They can weigh well over 100 pounds and live up to 20-25 years.

The previous Kansas state record was a 102.8 pound blue catfish caught in 2012 by Robert Stanley.

“I’ve caught some big fish over the years, but this was my first ‘century’ fish,” said Mayer. “When I finally got it in the boat after fishing more than 10 hours, I knew it was over 100 pounds, but I had no idea just how big it really was.”

Mayer is an experienced catfish angler who regularly competes in 10 to 15 blue catfish tournaments each year, many of them held in Kansas.

While pre-fishing for an upcoming tournament, he spent more than 10 hours on the river, struggling early in the day before finally coming tight with a big fish. Around 9:30 p.m., he hooked what would become his first-ever blue catfish over 100 pounds.

Fishing solo, Mayer wrestled the massive fish into his boat, realizing it was the biggest he’d seen all day, but not yet grasping just how significant the catch truly was.

A fisheries biologist at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks later assisted in weighing the fish on a certified scale and verified the record-breaking catch.

To qualify for Kansas state records, catches must meet the following conditions, according to KDWP:

• the fish is a species recognized on the current list of Kansas state record fish
• the fish is caught by a licensed angler using legal means
• the fish is identified by a KDWP district fisheries biologist or regional fisheries supervisor and observed by KDWP law enforcement (a tissue sample may be required)
• the fish is weighed on a certified scale prior to being frozen
• the fish is photographed in color
• a state record application is submitted
• a mandatory 30-day waiting period has passed

For more on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com.

source: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

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