A new state record blue catfish weighing a whopping 96 pounds has been caught from the Ohio River by a Williamsburg, Ohio, angler, swamping an inaugural record blue of 57 pounds certified a year ago.

Chris Rolph was catfishing from a boat on the river near Cincinnati in the early morning hours of June 11, when he hooked the big one. It was 54 1/2 inches long with a 36-inch girth. The 96-pound blue cat is the largest ever registered as a hook-and-line record in Ohio.

On landing the fish after a 30-minute tussle, Rolph and his fishing buddy that night, Jon Owens, of Amelia, Ohio, guessed they had a record on board. So they immediately headed back to the launch-ramp. A few hours later Rolph, who kept the fish alive in a large aerated stock tank, had the fish weighed on certified scales at Bethel Feed & Supply.

He teased up his record blue using a cut skipjack for bait. The big cat took the bait about 12:45 a.m. The two fishermen already had caught five small catfish.

Rolph wanted to release the fish unharmed, so special arrangements were made to have the fish examined and photographed that morning by Tom Cross, the chairman of the record fish committee of the Outdoor Writers of Ohio. Cross by coincidence lives nearby. OWO is the official keeper of state records, working in cooperation with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

After an examination, the fish was released into a large farm pond.

Rolph's catfish replaces the record held by Keith Setty, of Lynchburg, Ohio. He entered a 57-pound, 3.2 ounce blue catfish taken from the tailwaters of Meldahl Dam on the Ohio River.

Studies by the state wildlife division and Kentucky Fish & Wildlife determined that blue catfish populations in the lower Ohio River were substantial enough to warrant downlisting the species from endangered to species of special concern. Downlisting the blue catfish opened up sport fishing opportunities for anglers on the Ohio River. That allowed the species to be added to the state record fish list in 2008.

State fisheries biologist Doug Maloney, from Wildlife District Five at Xenia, confirmed Rolph's catch as a blue catfish. The blue is the largest catfish in the Ohio River, with weights sometimes surpassing 100 pounds. The Kentucky state record blue catfish is 104 pounds and also was caught in the Ohio River.

For more information on Ohio's state record fish program, contact Tom Cross, chairman, OWO State Record Fish Committee, 1497 Cross Rd., Winchester, OH 45697, or call him at 937 386-2752. Details also can be found online at

outdoorwritersofohio.org.

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Walleye fishing has been tough in Lake Erie's western basin in recent days, with the blame shared by still-cool water and muddy conditions inshore.

"Those fish are lethargic," said Rick Ferguson at Al Szuch Live Bait in Jerusalem Township. "The water temperature is six, seven degrees behind." Trollers, he added, are having better results than casters, but all boats are fishing well offshore in cleaner water - as in out past the Turning Buoy of the Toledo Ship Channel.

Further east, the Ohio Division of Wildlife suggests north of North Bass Island, west of Rattlesnake Island, Gull Island Shoal, and north of Kelleys Island Shoal.

Yellow perch fishing has been good off Cedar Point and around Kelleys Island. And Dan Baker, at Butch and Denny's Bait on Corduroy Road, said perching in the far west end has been as good as the walleye fishing has been bad.

"The perch fishing, you would think it was October," said Baker. He said anglers were finding good perch action around the Toledo Water Intake, charter area marked Gravel Pit, buoys No. 13 and No. 17 along the Ship Channel, northwest of West Sister Island, and six miles northeast of Anchor Point.

Inland, bluegills appear to be on their spawning beds and aggressive. At least that is the observation of Doug Bermick and Tim Friend, who had a field day recently at the state's popular Lake La Su An in Williams County.

Bermick, of Temperance, and Friend, of Wauseon, took 54 bluegills, keeping the allotted 10 apiece, including four Fish Ohio-size winners. And they never touched live bait, instead using tiny Rebel crankbaits all day. "At one point we took 18 fish in an hour said Bermick. They were working from a small boat with a trolling motor.

They also caught and released 27 largemouth bass to 13 inches on the small cranks, which Bermick said were 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. His two best 'gills were 10 inchers and Friend's were nine. "They were extremely aggressive," said Bermick. "La Su An is like a fisherman's heaven. We never had a bad day at La Su An."

The number for information and reservations is 419-636-6189, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mondays and Fridays. Or call Wildlife District 2, 419-424-5000.

Contact Steve Pollick at:

spollick@theblade.com

or 419-724-6068.

First Published June 19, 2009, 11:06 a.m.