A Central Texas Man Reels In A Massive Fish
Now that is one big fish. Recently, one Central Texas man went fishing down with his buddy at Lady Bird Lake in Austin and reeled in the biggest catch that he’s ever seen.
While he was at the lake with his buddy, Cassidy Douglass caught an enormous 64-pound smallmouth buffalo fish. Douglass told KXAN that at first, he had no idea what he caught and that it took him around 25 minutes just to reel the massive fish in.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, smallmouth buffalos are pretty common in Texas and are usually found in large streams and rivers exclusive to the Panhandle. As Douglass proved, these fish can grow to be quite large. Smallmouth buffalos weighing 82 pounds have been caught on a rod and reel by anglers. Currently, the trotline record is 97 pounds.
These fish can also be quite tasty too and are an excellent food source. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the smallmouth buffalo is the number one species that is sold by commercial freshwater fishermen.
After catching the enormous fish, Douglass weighed it with a certified scale and submitted it to Texas Parks and Wildlife, who awarded him with a water body record. Once he weighed the fish and took lots of pictures, he then released it back into Lady Bird Lake, where it still swims today. Maybe someone else will catch the fish, and reel in the massive smallmouth buffalo.