Missouri fisherman lands record-breaking 130-pound blue catfish

A man fishing with his girlfriend Tuesday morning landed a new Missouri state record -- and likely new world record -- blue catfish, pulling in the 130-pound behemoth from the Missouri River.

"That rod just started screaming," Greg Bernal, of Florissant, Missouri, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I knew he was big. It raced out, I set the hook and there was no movement at all. I just kept the pressure on him and finally I could feel him thumping."

Bernal caught the big cat using a chunk of an Asian carp, which jumped into the boat, for bait. He fought his big catch for 15 minutes and spent another 30 minutes -- with help from his girlfriend, Janet Momphard -- pulling it into their johnboat.

"I am still numb," said Bernal, a lifelong fisherman. "That's the biggest fish I've ever seen."

The fish measured 57 inches in length and 45 inches in girth. It has been confirmed by Missouri Department of Conservation biologists as the new state record, besting the previous state pole and line record by 27 pounds. Application for world record status has been submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. and is currently awaiting confirmation, but the huge blue cat also stands to topple the standing record by six pounds.

Bernal, an unemployed land surveyor, said he won't eat the record-breaking fish, instead planning to mount a reproduction in his home, next to a 79.12-pound catfish he caught in 1995. He hopes there's room for another someday.

"I'm going to go out there and catch a bigger one -- they're out there."

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Greg Bernal of Florissant, Missouri, holds the new state, and possibly world, record for blue catfish with this 130 pound giant. Credit: Missouri Department of Conservation

Comments

[veri]

I just read this story, Congratulations!!!! Please- If he wants to mount it that's the winner's perogative.....There are plenty of catfish to eat out there, so quit moanin and git 'fishin'!

[Charles Emanuel]

Man "O" Man! That's an awsome catch, i use to live in M.O. but i never thought about catfishing there. I do all my cat fishing in Lake Marion of Santee in S.C. i know that there are cat fish big as "geo metro's" but Good catch ill be up there next!

[Cory Taylor]

That's wild. Congraduations. I have never seen a catfish the size of that. I wish i could catch one. Going fishin today. Hopefuly luck strikes.

[MOangler]

I'm just glad it was caught by a Missouri boy, from the sounds of it we're the only ones in the country who appreciate what it's like to have the oppertunity to do what this man has done. I find it hard to believe that if you're truly an avid fisherman and enjoy it as much as he does that you yourself would have just "thrown it back in". There is no right or wrong here just the simple fact that a man went out and did what we can only dream about. kudos to him.

[whitney]

I have never in my whole life seen a fish this large!!

[Keaton]

and by the way it is very possible to catch on 40-60lb line. i have caught a 7lb bluecat on 2lb test on a crappie jig so... took me 6minutes to get it in

[Keaton]

ya catch and release wouldnt hurt but a 130lb bluecat? i wouldnt eat it because the meet would be so freakin tough it aint funny. i have been fishin since i was 3 and i would do the same thing or carry it in a tank and release back after its been oficialy weighed in. maybe get a lifesize picture and put it on a wall. but i think i woulda mounted it most likely.

[max white]

yall quit hating. your all mad because this guy had the probabl once of a lifetime luck, ad he's keeping it to have memories and show everyone, yall are mad becaseu you cant cach anything like he did and dissapointd when you saw the picture that it wasnt your catch. good job fisherman. i dont fish but i know and see haters when i hear one

[jason b]

He could have caught and released it, they don't have to be brought to a "game and parks" (whatever that is). They have to be brought (dead or alive) to a certified scale, which many places have, then the fish could have been released.

[josh]

should of let it go

[Andrew]

you guys also probably haven't caught a world or state record! they have to take the fish to the game and parks to officially weigh it heck im all about catch and release unless im gunna eat it or its a damn carp or junk fish... if i caught that blue i would do the same thing he is doing! mount that thang!!!

[Get Slimed Fishing Charters]

Somebody should have told him about CPR (catch pic release) Thats what we do here on the James river in Va.

[PatofColorado]

Catch and release my man. How hard would that have been? Beautiful creature, but gonna rot now......too bad.

[Andrew H.]

If you are not goinmg to eat it, then why would you kill it! As an avid fisherman I say bravo on the catch, boo on the failure to release it!

[Nicole]

Why didn't you put the big guy back? Take a picture, catch and release. He deserved to continue to live his long life.

[Hunter]

A fish like that can easily be caught on even 20 pound line with the proper skill set and quality equipment.
Yes, of course LA-resident City Slickers think Catch-and-Release fishing is wrong.
Perhaps they don't realize that LA residents kill TWO fish every time they flush their toilets; one upstream in the Delta, and another in the ocean at the Outfall.

[Just Me]

I agree he should have released it if he wasn't going to eat it. Also, what pound test line was he using to real that in? I don't think a normal 40 - 60 pound line would have withheld the fight,,, Somehow I don't think he caught it on a rod and reel.. Just my opinion,, I have fished along time too.

[Sam]

IF he's not going to eat it he shouldn't be fishing. Period.