A teenage girl has recently broke the record for the largest fish caught in Ohio. On Sunday, April 7th, Jalynn Parker was doing some casual fishing with her father and a family friend when she caught a giant catfish that she nicknamed ‘Bob.’ They said it was a normal, relaxing day until Jalynn noticed something in the water. When she noticed the behemoth, she yelled out for her father who came over quickly, then screamed with joy. Parker used a method known as jug lining, where you have a large jug or container connected to a fishing line, instead of using a rod. Once they had pulled the jumbo blue catfish out of the water they had no clue how big of a deal this was. 

When examining their prized catch, they knew this had to be a contender for the largest catfish, at least caught in recent years. They called a local game warden to come out to measure and weigh the creature, who informed them this was the state record for size in Ohio, and awarded them the honor. Parker and her father were exhilarated, and saw this as an opportunity to show young people that anyone can enjoy fishing. About a week after the record was broken, the Outdoor Writers of Ohio, a media group that writes about the outdoors, is deciding whether or not to count the record, as they believe since it was not caught traditionally with a rod, the record may not count. Despite the decision still being up in the air, Parker is still interviewing with multiple national news networks, sharing the story of Bob the 101-pound, 51-inch-long catfish who was released back into the wild.