Va. fisherman breaks state record by catching 68 pound catfish

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WSET) -- A Virginia Beach man may have set a new state record for the biggest flathead catfish caught.

Jeffrey Dill reeled in a68.12 pound catfish at Lake Smith around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

He said he took about 15 minutes to reel in the fish from the water.

"I put him on the dock, held him down for a minute. He was so big," said Dill, who affectionately named the catch "Big Earle."

Dill told WAVY News that he took it toOceans East Bait & Tackle to get it officially weighed by a biologist from theVirginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The current record is listed as a 66.4 pound flathead catfish that was caught on May 6, 1994, by a fisherman at the Occoquan Reservoir in northern Virginia.

The biologist said the State Record Fish Committee will review Dill's application and senior leadership will decide whether "Big Earle" is the winner.