December 22, 2015 — Ever catch a state record fish? How about doing it twice in two days?
North Carolina angler Zakk Royce accomplished a legendary feat while catfishing on Lake Gaston in North Carolina this past Sunday and Monday. Not only did he break the existing blue catfish record of 89 pounds by hooking a 91-pounder on Sunday, but after he got the cat certified and released it alive back into the waters, he turned around Monday and shattered his less-than-one-day-old state mark by hauling in a 105-pound blue catfish!
“I was fishing alone with the 91-pounder,” says Royce. “I dropped a chunk of bluegill on a Carolina rig and he hit. I got him to boatside, but couldn’t fit him into the net and control him with the rod at the same time. He pulled off 40 yards of line and I got him back to boatside where I got the tip of his head inside the net and his pectoral fins got stuck in the mesh, but I still couldn’t lift him.” Royce then called his buddy Mike on a nearby kayak 2 miles away who paddled over to help him lift the net over the side.