Washington teen's first-ever catfish catch breaks record: ‘He was shocked’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Washington teen has officially shattered the record for the biggest channel catfish caught in the state with his first catfish catch ever.
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Cole Abshere was fishing with his grandfather when he hooked the giant catfish. (Courtesy Angela Abshere)
Cole Abshere, 16, was out fishing with his grandfather on Lake Terrell in late August when he hooked the record-breaking 37.7-pound catfish.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After a 45-minute struggle, Cole was able to reel the massive fish in.
This was the 16-year-old's first catfish catch ever. (Courtesy Angela Abshere)
“He was shocked and thrilled that his first catfish was that big, let alone a state record,” Cole’s mother Angela Morin Abshere told For The Win Outdoors of her son’s Aug. 20 catch.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The fish, which measured 42 inches long, broke the previous record of 36.2 pounds set by a Washington fisherman in 1999.
The 42-inch monster shattered the previous record set in 1999. (Courtesy Angela Abshere)
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reportedly helped get the fish officially weighed and measured for the record-approval process.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cole's catch weighed in on a certified scale at 37.7 pounds. (Courtesy Angela Abshere)
The head and spine of the catfish were donated to the WDFW for education and research, For the Win reports.
Cole and his grandfather were able to harvest 25 pounds of meat from the giant catfish.
Cole donated the head and spine of the catfish to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for research and education purposes. (Courtesy Angela Abshere)