Twenty-two yr outdated Bailey Williams, an angler from Watertown, New York, caught a 35-pound channel catfish over the weekend. Biologists confirmed the fish as a New York state document on Sunday.
Williams caught the channel cat within the Black River Marsh positioned exterior Dexter, New York. The Watertown native was fishing from his kayak utilizing a white perch head as bait when he felt a chunk.
He was in a position to reel within the 35-pound, 12-ounce catfish, and officers confirmed the catch as a brand new state document. The fish was 9 ounces higher than the earlier state document, additionally caught by a person from Watertown, from 2017.
“I’ve heavy gear, so it was solely like a five-minute battle,” Williams informed native information. “It was a troublesome battle for positive, as a result of it felt like lifeless weight.”
Williams and New York Division of Environmental Conservation biologists confirmed the catfish on Sunday, utilizing scales at a neighborhood {hardware} store. The catfish was saved alive within the kayak by Williams and efficiently launched again into the Black River Marsh after confirming its weight.
Williams mentioned he would know the fish if he ever caught it once more due to an simply recognizable black birthmark.
Williams first informed his uncle Josh in regards to the catch, stating, “as an alternative of referring to me as Bailey, now it’s a must to check with me because the state-record holder.”
This catch seemingly received’t be his final state document. He’s already aiming his sights on different fish within the Black River Marsh and the subsequent alternative to beat his personal document.
“Simply hoping I can truly break it once more … as a result of there’s different enormous ones, and this place is underrated for large catfish,” he informed native information.
Channel catfish are the most important member of the bullhead catfish household in New York and probably the most quite a few species in the US. They’re characterised by a deeply forked tail, and anglers usually check with them as “Channel Cats.”
