Record-breaking 36-pound channel catfish caught in Allegheny River: "That just doesn't happen"

A 36-pound 2-ounce channel catfish has set a new state record in Pennsylvania after being caught in the Allegheny River. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said the fish was taken by 44-year-old David Taylor Jr. of Munhall on the evening of Oct. 3, during the Tri-State Hawg Hunters tournament. Taylor and his friend Alex Atkinson were fishing below the Highland Park Lock and Dam near Sixmile Island around 8 p.m., when Atkinson noticed a tugging line. After a second weigh-in and inspection, the catfish beat the previous 1991 record by 9 ounces, measuring 42 inches long with a 26-inch girth. The pair released it in good health.