9-year-old boy catches massive blue catfish in New Mexico

ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (AP) — He caught a fish “this” big. No, really.

A 9-year-old New Mexico boy landed a 42-pound (19-kilogram) blue catfish Sunday evening while fishing in the Elephant Butte Reservoir.

Kris Flores said his son, Alex, made the big catch by himself and shattered dad’s record of reeling in a 36-pound (16-kilogram) fish.

Flores says the fourth grader named the fish Wailord after the Pokemon character. The father says his son released the fish back into the reservoir after taking some photos and videos.

The biggest fish ever reportedly caught in Elephant Butte history was 78 pounds (35 kilograms).

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This story corrects a previous version to say the boy named the fish Wailord after the Pokemon character, not Whale Lord. It also corrects the spelling of Pokemon.