Kansas fisherman celebrates 61-pound catch

CLAY COUNTY (KSNT) - It's not every day you land a new personal best.

That's exactly what 78-year-old Bob Bishop of Blue Rapids did Thursday while out fishing with his nephew Tony Blair on the north end of Milford Lake. The duo was out casting lines in the morning hours on the north end of Kansas's largest lake when Bishop hooked something big.

Bishop, who usually goes fishing for walleye and wipers, said he recently switched to catfish. He's a veteran angler on Milford Lake which he said has been a favorite fishing spot for him going back 30 years. Bishop and his nephew chose a spot where they had caught some other large fish in the 40-pound range, hoping to make another big catch.

Armed with a spinner rod baited with white bass, Bishop thought he was snagged the morning he landed his personal best. It was only when he felt the line move that he knew something large was on the hook. Bishop said he had to fight the fish to get it off the bottom.

"Tony says, 'you got a good one!'" Bishop said. "We finally got him in the boat to get some photos of him before releasing him for someone else to catch."

Once on the boat, Bishop and Blair weighed the big blue catfish which came out to 61.34 pounds. Bishop said this classified as a new personal best and the "best one I've ever caught." He said his previous big catch came in at 44 pounds. While he didn't measure the catfish before he released it back into the lake, Bishop said it was longer than a four foot board they had on hand.

When looking for inspiration, Bishop said he thinks back to his dad who landed bigger catches when Bishop was younger.

"I can't keep up with my dad," Bishop said. "He brought in flatheads at 60-70 pounds on the river. I just try to follow along with how he fished." He'd catch the big ones and I'd catch the small ones."

Bishop recommends that others who want to land 60-pound fish should invest in a good depth finder and look for drop offs beneath the water. Some of it also has to do with a little bit of luck, and timing.

"You gotta be at the right spot at the right time," Bishop said.

Bishop said he plans on casting his lines on Milford Lake at the next opportunity.