Since he has been down this road before, Micka Burkhart knew exactly where to go to weigh his likely new Tennessee state record catfish (122.3 pounds). He said he called them in advance and the folks at Who Dat Processing were ready and waiting when he got there so they could get the certified weight quickly and return the fish to the river. (Photo courtesy Micka Burkhart)
Burkhart Breaks Tennessee State-Record Blue Cat AGAIN
by Richard Simms
Could he have caught the same monster blue twice?
In September 2022, Micka Burkhart broke the Tennessee state-record blue catfish, a record that stood for nearly 25 years.
Amazingly, on June 28, 2023—just nine months later—Burkhart broke his own record again. It hasn’t been certified at this writing, but Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency biologists were on site for the weighing, and it seems clear the newest record fish should sail through the paperwork process.
Last September’s monster blue, caught in Tennessee’s Cumberland River, tipped the scales at 118.7 pounds. The fish he caught June 28, 2023 was certified at 122.3 pounds.
Is It The Same Fish?
There seems to be a chance Burkhart’s newest pending record is the same fish he caught last September. That fish also was weighed on certified scales and then released safely released back into the Cumberland River.
Burkhart said he caught the new pending record blue in June within 100 yards of where he caught last year’s record fish.
“Absolutely,” exclaimed Burkhart. “It’s definitely a possibility it’s the same fish. Of course, I can’t say for sure, but if it is the same fish, it’s even more exciting because it proves more than ever that CPR works.”
CPR is the acronym fishermen use for “Catch, Photograph and Release.” Burkhart released his previous record catfish about five miles from where he caught it, but he believes it is certainly possible the fish returned to its original haunts.
Burkhart’s Gear
Burkhart fishes with tackle from Mad Katz. Following his previous state-record catch, the company created a “Micka Burkhart Signature Series” rod in his honor. The company recently sold out of that series. He said following his latest catch, they will be doing it again, this time creating a “2.0” version of his rod.
He says, however, this record fish didn’t hit on one of his rods.
“I had some of my rods out,” said Burkhart. “But he hit on a Mad Kat Finz rod.”
As for his other gear, Burkhart said he was using a Penn Squall reel loaded with a 40-pound test main line, with a 60-pound-test hook leader and a Mad Katz Kat Snatcher hook, all fished under homemade planer boards.
Read more as Burkhart describes his solo battle catching and landing the 122-pound beast here.
It might take some time for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to process the paperwork, but there is little doubt that Burkhart will find his name in the Tennessee record books again. And there is also little doubt he will be back on the water soon hoping to execute a “Three-peat.”
(Capt. Richard Simms is the editor of or our sister publication, CrappieNOW. He is also a “semi-retired” fishing guide on the Tennessee River and owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters. He was a game warden for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency before becoming a photographer and PR guy for TWRA. That led to a 30-year career as a broadcast journalist and freelance outdoor writer. Check out his book, “An Outdoor State of Mind.“
