Missouri River Produces 105-Pound File Blue Catfish for Nebraska Angler

A brand new Iowa state report catfish was caught within the Missouri River. Nebraska information George Thompson, who runs Missouri River Catfish Guides, caught a 105-pound blue catfish on the Iowa facet of the river close to Council Bluffs on October 12, 2025. The fish measured 60 inches lengthy and formally broke the 21-year-old Iowa report of 101 kilos that had stood since 2004, in response to the Iowa Division of Pure Sources.

The massive blue cat didn’t come simple. Thompson and his sons had been chasing a large catfish they’d hooked and misplaced per week earlier. Decided to complete the job, they returned to a deep gap on the Iowa facet of the river, set anchor, and dropped baits of lower skipjack herring. “We have been attempting to find that fish,” Thompson mentioned. This time, when the rod loaded up, they knew it was the one.

The battle was precisely what you’d anticipate from a triple-digit blue. The heavy present and sheer energy of the fish compelled Thompson to drag anchor and chase it throughout the river. The battle stretched on for almost half an hour as the massive catfish surged, turned, and pulled the boat into the present. “I knew it was a monster fish,” Thompson mentioned. When the fish lastly got here to the floor, it appeared extra like a submerged log than a fish.

As soon as Thompson received the fish to the facet of the boat, he and a buddy from Anchor Inn Bait and Deal with labored collectively to weigh the fish and make contact with the Iowa DNR for official certification. True to his conservation mindset, Thompson saved the catfish alive in his boat’s livewell and later used a water truck to oxygenate the tank whereas ready for affirmation. After the report was verified, the huge blue was launched again into the Missouri River to swim one other day.

For Thompson, the second carried further that means. His father had all the time urged him to get a fish licensed for a state report. “It was sort of his dream,” Thompson mentioned. The household has caught a number of 100-pound class fish earlier than, however this was the primary one which survived lengthy sufficient to be formally licensed.

The report stands as proof that the Missouri River stays among the best locations within the nation to chase large blues. For anglers keen to place within the time, use the correct bait, and battle by the present, there’s all the time an opportunity that the subsequent world-class fish is one solid away.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award-winning outside journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outside column for the Slidell Unbiased Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Outside Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith electronic mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com