Cypress Gardens Now Home to Nearly 80-Pound Catfish

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Cypress Gardens has a new resident, and he’s pretty big!

The popular Berkeley County attraction recently welcomed a 77.6-pound Arkansas blue catfish to its facility.

Jason Cribb, of Hanahan, wrangled the huge catfish out of the Santee Cooper lakes fishing out of Black’s Fish Camp on October 30.

Big critters aren’t uncommon here at Cypress Gardens. For example, Boss, one of its two resident gators, boasts a length of 13 feet, 2 inches, making him South Carolina’s largest resident gator in captivity.

This 77-pound catfish is a close second to the 80-pound catfish that Cypress Gardens lost after the 2015 flood, which closed the park for nearly four years.

“Come see him in the Swamparium! He is making himself right at home,” said Heather McDowell, Cypress Gardens Director.

The remarkable catch recently made the pages of Carolina Sportsman.