The Mekong giant catfish is the official freshwater heavyweight champion of the world. According to the Guinness Book of Records, a nine-foot-long individual caught in northern Thailand in 2005 weighted an astounding 646 pounds, making it the largest exclusively freshwater fish ever recorded.

What's the largest catfish ever caught in the United States?

Ken Paulie's 123-pound flathead stands as the accepted world record, extracted from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas in May 1998. The giant cat measured 61-inches with a 43.75-inch girth. It's commonly believed that the blue catfish represents the largest North American catfish species.

What is the biggest catfish caught by hand?

On a recent Noodling adventure, Levi Bennett caught a 106-pound Flathead Catfish by hand. The current Noodling world record for Flathead Catfish is 87.85 pounds. His fish would have destroyed that record.