West Virginia angler Tyler Harmon set a new state record after catching a 72.75-pound blue catfish while fishing on the Ohio River near Ravenswood with his father and young son. The trip had begun as a casual outing aimed at landing a small fish for his four-year-old to reel in, but instead turned into a 20-minute battle with a fish so large it bent the frame of their landing net. The catch is notable not only as a state record but also because Harmon may be eligible for a substantial cash prize tied to the rod he used.

The catfish measured 48.15 inches long with a 33.5-inch girth, beating the previous West Virginia record of 71 pounds set by Michael Ramey in the same stretch of river in May. Because Harmon was fishing with a Hellcat rod from Catch The Fever, which offers cash rewards for state-record catches made with its gear, the fish could be worth up to $20,000, pending confirmation from the company. Harmon said he plans to put any winnings towards a house deposit, and after being weighed and measured by state fisheries officials the following morning, the fish was released back into the river.