RECORD CATCH

FAIRFAX -- Clarence Kerr recently reeled in a fish that broke a 30-year state record.

Kerr caught a 103-pound blue catfish from the Missouri River in Atchison County. His catch broke the old state record of 71 pounds, 7 ounces set by Howard Keppel, Kansas City, on Oct. 8, 1960. This is the first record fish for Kerr, who caught the 55 3/4-inch catfish on 25-pound-test line, with a frog for bait.

The state record that Kerr broke was one of the two oldest records on the books. The only one that has stood longer is a 53-pound sturgeon that was caught (also from the Missouri River) in 1950.

Other old records on the list include a 13-pound, 14-ounce largemouth bass caught at Bull Shoals Lake in 1961 and a 19-pound bowfin caught at Duck Creek Wildlife Area in 1963.