A Tennessee woman's picture with an 88-pound catfish has gone viral after she caught the creature that appeared to almost match up to her size. The image showing Paula Cathey Smith was posted on social media the following day and shows how the plump ray-finned fish stretches past more than half her height. In the shot that had received approximately 1,200 shares, it's clear how Smith has to use the support her thigh to hoist the catfish up and the support of her own torso to get it in a good position for the snapshot.
The fish's belly even bulges beyond her large black gloves as she tries to show off its barbels that resemble a cat's whiskers. Smith's find was on the Kentucky Lake northwest of Nashville and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency shared the impressive image just in time for 2019, revealing the supersize creature is now back in the water.' River Monster! Paula Cathey Smith shows us you can catch fish in the winter with this 'personal best' 88 pounders caught and released safely back into KY Lake,' the organization captioned the Facebook post. The blonde woman seemed rather proud of her fishing achievement too. However, the bait used and other details were not revealed. It's clear to see how delighted Smith is with her cold-water catch as she poses for the photograph from the boat. Part of the Tennessee River, the area of the Kentucky Lake where Smith caught the creature is known for its deep water and fish year-round. Still, commenters couldn't hide how mesmerized by the sheer size of the catfish obtained during a particularly tricky season. Many praised Smith for releasing it back into the water. Some locals were surprised to know that catfish were even in the area. One Facebook user wrote: 'I never hear anything about catfish in KY lake and I know there is plenty of big fish there.' While it was a great winter catch, The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources states that the biggest blue catfish in the area was caught on the Ohio River almost 20 years ago by Bruce W. Midkiff. It was a whopping 104lbs. This type of catfish tends to be a pale blue-to-grey on the back and sides and fades to white on the lower and stomach areas. Adults can grow to around 5.5 feet and 150 pounds however the fish are commonly 20-50 inches and 3-60 pounds, making Smith's outing an astounding success.
The fish's belly even bulges beyond her large black gloves as she tries to show off its barbels that resemble a cat's whiskers. Smith's find was on the Kentucky Lake northwest of Nashville and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency shared the impressive image just in time for 2019, revealing the supersize creature is now back in the water.' River Monster! Paula Cathey Smith shows us you can catch fish in the winter with this 'personal best' 88 pounders caught and released safely back into KY Lake,' the organization captioned the Facebook post. The blonde woman seemed rather proud of her fishing achievement too. However, the bait used and other details were not revealed. It's clear to see how delighted Smith is with her cold-water catch as she poses for the photograph from the boat. Part of the Tennessee River, the area of the Kentucky Lake where Smith caught the creature is known for its deep water and fish year-round. Still, commenters couldn't hide how mesmerized by the sheer size of the catfish obtained during a particularly tricky season. Many praised Smith for releasing it back into the water. Some locals were surprised to know that catfish were even in the area. One Facebook user wrote: 'I never hear anything about catfish in KY lake and I know there is plenty of big fish there.' While it was a great winter catch, The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources states that the biggest blue catfish in the area was caught on the Ohio River almost 20 years ago by Bruce W. Midkiff. It was a whopping 104lbs. This type of catfish tends to be a pale blue-to-grey on the back and sides and fades to white on the lower and stomach areas. Adults can grow to around 5.5 feet and 150 pounds however the fish are commonly 20-50 inches and 3-60 pounds, making Smith's outing an astounding success.