Massive Blue Catfish Caught at Lake Lawtonka, Oklahoma

While everyone was focused on the Super Bowl, a pair of local anglers reeled in a rare massive blue catfish during a tournament this weekend.

That's a 94.7-pound (94-pound, 11-ounce) behemoth of a blue. Biologist studies suggest it has likely been living in Lawtonka for +/-30 years. By any measure in the state of Oklahoma, that's a living dinosaur and far rarer than you'd expect.

Even though blues are the largest of America's catfish, they almost always get culled early on. The meat is so prized for its sweet taste, it's rare to see them beyond 40-60 pounds.

Even rarer, this blue got released back into Lake Lawtonka to keep growing a new state record.

If you're keeping track of Oklahoma's outdoor records, this fish was only 3.4 pounds short of a new state rod & reel record. The Texoma 98-pounder still holds that title, but even then it's not the biggest on record.

A 118-pound blue cat was pulled off a Texoma Lake trotline in the late-80s, a 35-year record that likely won't be beaten anytime soon... and if you were as curious as me, the world record blue catfish was 143 pounds, caught on a rod and reel in North Carolina.

For what it's worth, this catfish isn't the only giant swimming around Lake Lawtonka. The mountain lakes are full of massive small and largemouth bass.