Green River Catfish Festival kicks off in Butler County

MORGANTOWN, Ky. – Thursday is the kickoff of the Green River Catfish Festival, the biggest event in Morgantown and Butler County.

The festival is in its 42nd year and it’s one of the most anticipated events on the calendar.

From fair rides to a fishing tournament and food trucks, there’s really something for everyone.

But one of the more unique things the festival is known for is catfish wraslin.

In case you’re wondering how it works, let one of the hosts tell you herself.

“It just consists of two people getting in the pool on each corner, and they release a catfish… and whoever can catch it and hold it up for 3 seconds wins… and they have to wrestle, you know, during the process,” Rachel Sublett with Smith Funeral Home in Butler County says.

We also spoke to the organizer of the Tackle the Green Fishing Tournament, who told us someone was able to catch a catfish worth $10,000, which is the largest amount they’ve seen in a few years.

The largest still remains $50,000, but they were excited to give a man from Owensboro his first tournament catch and a nice prize to go with it.