15-year-old Breaks Ohio State Record for Largest Blue Catfish Catch

Jaylynn Parker, a 15-year-old from New Richmond in Ohio, recently made headlines as she set a new state record for the largest blue catfish ever caught in the region. Weighing an impressive 101 pounds and measuring 56 inches long, Jaylynn’s catch surpassed the previous state record of 96 pounds which was achieved back in 2009.
Jaylynn, who is a high school sophomore, caught the massive fish while jugline fishing with her father and friend Jeff on April 7th during heavy rainfall that had caused nearby creeks to swell. While they normally enjoy rod-and-reel fishing as well, Jaylynn’s passion for fishing runs deep – so much so that she has been waking up early since childhood in order to hit the water with her dad at 5am every time he goes out.
After a struggle which nearly capsized their boat, Jaylynn and Jeff managed to haul the fish aboard where it was kept alive overnight before being weighed by three Ohio game wardens the following day who also checked the family’s fishing licenses and jugline rigs for legality. The blue catfish is now recognised as an officially record-breaking catch by Ohio’s outdoor writer’s organisation, OWO (Outdoor Writers of Ohio), which maintains a list of state records in relation to angling.
The newfound fame has not gone unnoticed however – Jaylynn and her family have received some unsavoury messages on social media as a result of the catch being widely shared across fishing communities online, prompting them to disable their Facebook messaging function temporarily while they come to terms with it all. Nonetheless, this is an exciting time for the Parker family who are using Jaylynn’s newfound fame to promote and share more about their love of fishing on TikTok and Instagram where they regularly post videos from outings spent together as a father-daughter duo.
Despite her busy schedule which includes maintaining good grades at school, studying for an upcoming driving test, and juggling other commitments besides fishing, Jaylynn remains grounded in the face of this incredible achievement – describing it all as “super exciting” and simply eager to head out back into the water with Dad next time round.