Peggs Couple Lands Record-Setting Catfish

A Peggs couple landed a catfish so big it set a new record for Fort Gibson Lake.

Brian Harless says his mom and dad, Denver and Jessie Harless, caught the fish at about 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2015. They were fishing in the upper river part of the lake near Cedar Crest.

The fish weighed 73.6 pounds and was 48 inches long and 36 inches in diameter, the biggest blue catfish ever caught in Fort Gibson Lake, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Brian says his parents were using shad caught from a throw net as bait when the fish struck on the rod his mom, Jessie, was using. When it took off she knew it was a big fish so she handed the rod to her 70-year-old husband, Denver. He says it ended up taking both of them to reel in the monster.

They thought they had the state record, but the fish wasn't big enough. Plus, state rules require that only a single person land the fish.

Brian says his parents didn't get any good photos of it since they were more concerned with keeping it alive so they could release it. Luckily, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation employees did get pictures before they let it go.

Denver and Jessie are fishing again in the same spot Friday.