Turlock Angler Nails 78 Lb. Catfish On San Joaquin River   By: Dan Bacher December 5, 2005 More Articles by Dan

Randy Gilgert, Jr. of Turlock caught the largest blue catfish ever recorded in northern California, a 78 pound monster measuring over 4 feet long, in the San Joaquin River near Modesto on Saturday, November 4.

Gilgert was striped bass fishing at night with his two fishing buddies, Doug and Art Cox, on the river south of the Old Fisherman's Club off Highway 132, when he hooked the fish. The trio had gone upriver in Gilgert's boat, parked the boat on a sandbar and was relaxing around the campfire when the 17 pound test Stren line began ripping off Gilgert's Shimano Charter special reel.

He jumped in the boat, grabbed his Shakespeare Tiger Stick rod and began fighting the fish. "The fish jumped and it was like a big chunk of concrete had fallen in the water," he said. "The fish took off 200 yards on its first run downstream and then came upstream and ripped off another 100 yards."

The fish made about six 100-yard runs and then came up near the boat several times. "I first thought it was a big striped bass or a sturgeon because when we shined our flashlight near the fish I saw a white flash," said Gilgert. Finally, after seeing the fish flash near the surface, Doug Cox said he believed it was a "mighty big catfish." Cox was right.

After a one-hour battle, Cox netted the fish. "We were so amazed we just didn't say anything to one another for five minutes," said Gilgert. It was the largest fish of any species, including sturgeon, that Gilgert had ever taken.

The trio is no stranger to huge catfish. Art Cox landed a 69-pound catfish on the San Joaquin River two years ago. Doug Cox commercially fished for flathead, blue and channel catfish in the Arkansas River in Arkansas.

Gilgert, a fish pond builder, tried to keep the catfish alive before talking it to Fish and Game in a big tub, but the old fish died. On Monday, he weighed it on a certified meal scale and then took it to Dennis Lee, Department of Fish and Game senior biologist to examine the fish. Since it's difficult to determine the species when the fish are this large, Dennis Lee counted the rays on the anal fin, a test that biologists conduct to differentiate channel, blue and white catfish from one another. Lee counted 31 rays on the anal fin, identifying it as a blue catfish.

Although the fish is the largest blue cat ever taken in northern or central California, bigger blues have been taken out of southern California lakes. Roger Rohrbouck of Alliance, California set the California blue catfish record on March 12, 2000 when he nailed a 101 lb. fish at San Vicente Lake in San Diego County.

Not only did Gilgert catch the 78 pound catfish that night, but he also nailed two smaller catfish weighing 8 and 10 pounds that evening. His buddies also landed three striped bass to 9 pounds.

"I had a great experience landing that catfish," recalled Gilgert. "When you have your two fishing buddies with you to witness and help net the fish, it's not just another fish story about how the big one got away. In fact, the fish was so big it bent the net in half!"

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