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35-pound channel catfish breaks
state record
September 15, 2005 - Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation - A routine fishing trip turned into
a record-breaking day for one Muskogee man. Gary Doak Jr. caught
a 35-pound, 15-ounce channel catfish while bass fishing Sept.
11 at Taft Lake west of Muskogee.
"If someone told me there was a fish that
big in the lake I would have probably said they were crazy,"
said Doak, Oklahoma's newest record fish holder. "That is
one of the things that makes fishing so much fun - you throw
your line in the water and you never know what will bite on the
other end."
Doak, who lives in Muskogee, got more than he bargained
for when he hooked the huge fish in the predawn hours of Sunday,
Sept. 11.
"I was bass fishing just before sunrise when
the catfish hit in about 10-12 feet of water. I didn't know what
it was, but I was hoping it was a state record bass. It kind
of pulled me around for some time in my little boat - I was just
hoping my rod and reel would hold together," Doak said.
Doak was using a two-inch long plastic sunfish
bait and 16-pound test line. He realized he had a catfish when
he went to scoop it up in the dip net.
"There was no way that fish was going to fit
in the dip net, so I just horsed it in as best I could,"
he said. "Because it was still dark and it was so big, I
assumed it was a blue cat."
It wasn't until the sun came up that Doak realized
he had caught a channel catfish, but he still didn't realize
he had a potential state record.
"When I told a buddy I had caught a channel
catfish that might weigh 30 or 35 pounds, he said to take the
thing straight to the nearest certified scales," Doak said.
He quickly contacted officials with the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation who certified the fish as
the new state record. The huge fish was 39 1/4 inches long and
measured 26 1/4 inches in girth. Doak plans on having a taxidermist
mount the fish.
The previous channel catfish record of 34 pounds,
11 ounces was set by Barry Bond who pulled the big catfish from
Canton Lake in May of 2002.
For a complete list of record fish and the procedures
regarding certifying state record fish, consult the "Oklahoma
Fishing Guide." If you think you may have hooked a record
fish it is important that you weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State
Department of Agriculture certified scale and the weight is verified
by a Wildlife Department employee.
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