This past weekend, angler Daniel Leake pulled something humongous from the depths of the Tennessee River, an 85.2-pound blue catfish. It’s no chance encounter for Leake, who is the founder of a catfish-specific fishing tackle company called Catfish Sumo.
Leake used his company’s Golly Whopper adjustable rod and Heavyweight Championship reel to haul the beast of a catfish into his Native Slayer kayak. To lure the blue catfish, Leake used a skipjack caught and used for bait, according to a Facebook post documenting the 85-pounder, which happens to be a new personal record for Leake. Catfish Sumo also stated the catfish was safely released following a few hero shots and a weigh-in.
The Tennessee River lakes are well known as bass fishing hotspots, but when it comes to heavyweight fights they also hold a solid population of gigantic catfish. The blue catfish are the largest species of the Tennessee River. If you can believe it, they grow well above the weight of Leake’s catch, reaching up to 130 pounds. In fact, though it wasn’t on the Tennessee River, the record catfish for the state of Tennessee is 122 pounds, set by Micka Burkhart on Lake Barkley earlier this year, in July of 2023.
Will give props where due for Burkhart’s record set from a motorboat. But Leake’s 85-pound catch from his kayak using gear he invented deserves a standing slow clap from kayak fishing community.
Hahahahaha – that catfish needs it’s own kayak!! Good gravy that thing is YUGE!