8th grader reels in 68-pound catfish

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KGAN) - An 8th grader is reeling after he caught a massive catfish that weighed nearly 70 pounds.

He brought the big fish to shore all by himself.

Benjamin Strong’s video shows off the 68-pound flathead catfish.

“I have a sister about that size, like it’s crazy,” he said.

The 14-year-old said he has been going fishing before he goes to school, riding his bike about 30 minutes to a spot by the Burlington Street Dam to cast a line in the Iowa River, while beating the crowds and the evening heat.

“Getting out in the morning and fishing in the same spot over and over, like I can expect to catch anything big. But a fish that size only gets caught like about like 10 to 15 times a year,” he said.

Benjamin said he got some advice from an Iowa fisherman who makes YouTube videos, and that Wednesday, after they met, those words of wisdom led him to his biggest catch yet.

“The biggest flyhide before that was five pounds that I caught. I’ve seen videos and pictures of people catching big catfish, but like, I’ve never tried really hard to put that image of how big that would really look. So when I weighed it, I started freaking out and then it wasn’t until when I got home and did some searching that I realized how rare a fish is that big,” he said.

Benjamin said he did not have a net, but that did not stop him from bringing it ashore.

Now, it is back in the river for the next brave fisherman to find.

“It’s just like a fisherman’s dream, and like I guess I came up, the right time, right conditions and you do it enough, it’s inevitable,” he said.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the largest flathead catfish caught in the state weighed 81 pounds.

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