Teen Sets Florida Catfish Record

We love seeing kids enjoying the outdoors; anytime they can have a rod and reel in their hands instead of a phone or tablet, we’re all for it! Most young anglers, however, can’t brag to their buddies about a state record.

According to azfamily.com, Alabama teen Charles Patchen got a lot more than he bargained for while fishing the Chattahoochee River with his stepfather Bryan Atwell recently. The 90-pound 13-year-old boy started the day targeting bream with light tackle but when the action stopped, Atwell suggested putting one of their freshly caught bream on a hook. 

Patchen was using a Zebco combo spooled with 14-pound test when the monster flathead catfish attacked his bream and started stripping line like it was nothing.

It took Patchen nearly two hours to land the 63.8-pound monster. 

“My stepfather picked it up by the gills and when he put it in the boat, I did kind of like a scream,†Patchen said. “But not like a scared scream; like an excited scream.â€

Patchen’s remarkable catch bested the previous Florida record by eight pounds. Nicely done, young man! Here’s to a lifetime of awesome fishing memories!

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