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Annapolis, MD - As Don Wilson, 16, cast his line in the early hours yesterday, little did he know that he would hook a new state record. Wilson, who often spends time fishing with his dad, was using cut herring as bait, a bobber and a 10-pound test line, when he caught the 39 lbs. 4 oz. fish, which is a new record for blue catfish in Maryland. "I just couldn^t believe it. This is something I never thought would happen to me," said Wilson, whose previous biggest fish weighed 12 lbs. "We were just out there at the right time."
The fish was caught on Swan Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, about half way between the mouth of the creek and Fort Washington Park. It took the fisherman nearly 25 minutes to pull the fish into their 24-foot pontoon boat, Lying Fishermen.
The angler checked in the reel winner at Holiday Sports in Temple Hills, whose scale only weighs up to 28 lbs. The fishermen then headed south for a larger scale at Grays Market in Marbury, Md. Department of Natural Resources Freshwater Fisheries Biologist Tim Groves met the fisherman at Grays, certified the weight and measured its length at 41.63 inches and girth at 25.75 inches.
Wilson, son of Mary and Mike Alexander of Old Fort Road in the Chapel Hills division in Fort Washington, Md., will be a junior this year at Friendly High School. The fish will be mounted and displayed in their living room alongside his dad^s two other trophy fish. A copy of the mount will be displayed at the Cedarville Fisheries Visitor^s Center at Cedarville State Forest in Baden, southern Prince George^s County.
Most catfish caught in this area of the Potomac are channel catfish. Maryland officials have never stocked blue catfish, however, Virginia officials have previously stocked the fish in Virginia tributaries of the Potomac. The blue catfish is the largest of the catfish and can sometimes reach over 100 lbs., with the average catch less than 50 lbs. The large size and fighting qualities of blue catfish makes it a favorite among anglers.
Uploaded: 8/6/1999
Uploaded: 8/6/1999