Blue catfish state record broken again
If it’s starting to sound like a broken record, that’s exactly what it is: For the second time in less than a month, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that Delaware has a new state-record blue catfish. Sydney McBroom of Bridgeville landed a 53-pound whopper that measured 46.5 inches in length. Caught midmorning Sept. 22 on the Nanticoke River, the fish believed to be the largest freshwater fish caught since DNREC began keeping recreational fishing records.
McBroom caught the big cat fishing from his boat, using a whole bluegill as bait and landing it after a 20-minute wrestling match. His catch eclipsed a record that lasted just 20 days, held by Bridgeville angler Chris Andrews, who caught a 47-pound, 8-ounce specimen Sept. 2 from the Nanticoke River.
“You use a big fish to catch a big fish,” McBroom said of landing the mammoth blue catfish, which stands as the fifth state record of the 2023 Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament. “I don’t fish for attention; I fish for fun, I fish for me. You have to go onto the water and put your time in. We’d see a mess of nice catfish [every time we went out]. That was just our day.”
McBroom’s record catch was certified by Cpl. Kyle Wharton, Delaware Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Police, at Lewes Harbour Marina in Lewes. A list of all Delaware fishing records for both freshwater and saltwater species can be found on the DNREC website.
More information about the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament and state-record fish can be found in the 2023 Delaware Fishing Guide and at de.gov/sportfish.
