The Iowa DNR says this blue catfish caught by George Thompson
on October 12 this year is the largest of its kind ever to be recorded in Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Iowa DNR
105-Pound Blue Catfish Sets New Iowa Mark
By Keith “Catfish” Sutton
The fight lasted more than half an hour. The powerful blue catfish surged back and forth across the Missouri River, dragging Capt. George Thompson Jr.’s boat for more than two miles as it crossed between Iowa and Nebraska. When the battle finally ended, Thompson knew he’d landed something special, and a certified scale confirmed it.
The 105-pound blue catfish, officially verified by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is now the new state record. Thompson caught the giant on October 12 in Pottawattamie County, near Council Bluffs.
Thompson, an experienced catfish guide from Omaha, was fishing that day with his wife and two young sons. Using a skipjack for bait, he hooked the monster while targeting a 30-foot-deep hole where he had hooked a big fish a week or so before.
“I didn’t know if I could really boat him,” Thompson told writer Bob McNally with Wired2Fish.com. “I’ve caught 100-pound catfish before, but nothing like that one. It was the strongest fish I ever fought.”
The battle stretched over 30 minutes as the fish towed the boat back and forth across the river’s strong current. With his family cheering him on, Thompson finally managed to tire the big blue and bring it close enough to net. As soon as he got a good look at it, he suspected he might have a new record on his hands.
He kept the fish healthy in a well-aerated livewell and contacted the Iowa DNR to have it officially weighed on a certified scale. The numbers told the story: 105 pounds, 60 inches long and a 39-inch girth—easily surpassing the previous state record, a 101-pounder caught in the Missouri River by Mike Rush in 2004.
After the weigh-in and photos, Thompson carefully transported the fish back to the same stretch of river where it was caught and released it unharmed.
It’s no surprise that Thompson was the one to bring in this river legend. As owner of Missouri River Catfish Guides, he’s built a reputation for putting clients on monster fish.
“The potential to land a catfish exceeding 100 pounds is possible on any trip,” he says on his website. “The 2023 fishing season, our biggest fish we boated were six fish weighing in the 80s, four in the 90s and three fish exceeding the 100-pound mark. We are very aggressive in our pursuit of giant catfish.”
Thompson’s catch not only sets a new Iowa benchmark but also reminds anglers of the Missouri River’s incredible potential. With careful management, catch-and-release ethics and dedicated anglers like Thompson, the river’s next record-breaker might already be waiting in the depths.
(CatfishNOW editor Keith Sutton lives and works in Alexander, Arkansas. In 2022, he was inducted into the American Catfishing Association Catfish Hall of Fame.)
