Connecticut Man’s Catch Shatters White Catfish State Record
This is not one of those fish stories, the state record for the biggest White Catfish has been broken.
Now it may not seem like the record fish is that big, but when you think of a 21.3 pound white catfish, you're talking about a giant fish. The previous state record for a white catfish was just 12.7 pounds, so this latest catch was almost twice the size.
According to fieldandstream.com, Ben Tomkunas is the angler who hauled in the record catch while fishing at night on August 21 in Coventry Lake.
Now there is some speculation that the catch not only set a new Connecticut record, but could also be a new world record. The previous world mark for a white catfish was 19 pounds 5 ounces set back in 2005 in California.
Now the new record didn't come without some controversy as fishing experts had to analyze the fish, which looks similar to the channel catfish which are indigenous to Connecticut waters.
It was such big news in the fishing community that it's now the lead story on the Connecticut Fish and Wildlife Facebook page.
Tomkunas, a seasoned fisherman told fieldandstream.com that "it was kind of like pulling in a 30 inch striper, it was the craziest fight".
When his fishing party got back to shore and realized the size of the catch, all they could say was "Holy Moly".
Just to be safe, even though the entire fishing community is a buzz over the catch, Tomkunas intends to submit a claim to the associate to secure the new world record.