According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Newman's catfish tipped his digital scale at 37 pounds before he turned it loose. Had the fish been weighed on a certified scale, it would have shattered the existing weight record of 32.9 pounds.

"While this fish will earn a Catch-and-Release Record, the fish was easily large enough to beat the current 32.9-pound Certified Weight Record set only a few weeks ago by Cody Kastner, also from C.J. Strike Reservoir," the dep stated.

C.J. Strike Reservoir spans 7,500 acres on the Snake and Bruneau rivers in southwestern Idaho.