Michael Wherley of Pennsylvania was out fishing with his friend near Lake Aldred back in May. Three of their rods that morning had a fish on the line, and one of them became a record catch.
“It was a little crazy, but we managed to start reeling them in. There was a 30-pounder, and then Tommy brought in a 45-pounder that ended up breaking the net when we tried to lift it into the boat.” Wherley stated, according to ABC 27.
After a 30-minute battle, the pair ended up reeling in a 66-pound and 6-ounce Flathead catfish.
“When it finally came to the surface, all I could think was that it was humongous!... We knew we had something,” he added.
They documented the catch and returned it to the water. This catfish broke the previous state record which was set in 2020 and weighed in at just over 56 pounds.
Story via Jared Weaver with ABC 12