David Taylor Jr. Sets Pennsylvania Channel Catfish Record with 36 lb 2 oz Catch

Pennsylvania’s Fish and Boat Commission confirmed a new state record for channel catfish on 21 October 2026. David Taylor Jr., of Munhall, caught a 36-pound, 2-ounce channel catfish on the Allegheny River near Sixmile Island on 3 October.

Record catch on the Allegheny River

Taylor was fishing with Alex Atkinson in the Tri-State Hawg Hunters tournament below the Highland Park Lock and Dam. A waterways conservation officer witnessed the official weigh-in on 4 October. The fish measured 42 inches long with a 26-inch girth and surpassed the previous 1991 state record by nine ounces.

Taylor subsequently released the fish alive. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s announcement identifies Taylor as the angler; earlier claims attributing this channel-catfish record to Michael Wherley were incorrect. Wherley holds a separate Pennsylvania flathead catfish record.

Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 21 October 2026.