After a 30 minute battle, 66-year-old Randy Stillwell set a Colorado record when he successfully caught a blue catfish that .
On Dec. 1, Stillwell was fishing with his buddy Bill Shumaker in Lake Pueblo State Park when he caught the 38 5/8-inch blue catfish, . With a 25-inch girth, the fish weighed 29.132 pounds.
Stillwell’s catch broke the previous record of a 35 ½-inch, 24.48-pound blue catfish caught by Charlie Black in 2016, according to CPW.
Although thatap a big fish, have been caught in Colorado. In 2010, Jessica Walton caught a channel catfish that weighed 43 pounds in Aurora Reservoir. In 2017, Michael Flock caught a 30-pound flathead catfish in Pueblo Reservoir.
To set an official Colorado record, a fish needs to be weighed on a state-certified scale. A CPW biologist or wildlife manager must also examine the fish.
Lake Pueblo is considered a with 4,600 surface-acres of water, 60 miles of shoreline and nearly 10,000 acres of land.
