Tom Owens with his 83-pound blue catfish.
Fishermen love a good fight.
But imagine trying to reel in something about twice the size of your average newborn elk calf. Now there’s a battle!
That’s what a father-son team experienced recently.
Tom Owens of Ligonier and his son, Thomas, currently a senior at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., traveled to the James River near Richmond, Va., on the latter’s spring break to do some catfishing. They were with guide Chris Eberwien of Eberwien’s Catfishn’.
This was on March 1.
Tom Owens, fishing with cut shad as bait, landed an 83-pound blue catfish. It took 20 minutes to get it in, with the fish going under, in front of and behind the boat multiple times.
It was reportedly the fifth largest catfish the guide service has ever recorded in 25 years on the river.
Thomas, meanwhile, landed a 67-pounder. It wasn’t his only big fish, though. He also caught 62- and 55-pound fish.
In all, the father and son reeled in nearly 400 pounds of fish that day.
“Neither Tom nor Thomas ever caught anything close to that big, catfish or otherwise,” said Tom’s wife, Pat.
Thomas Owens, at right, holds his 67-pound blue catfish. At left is his guide, Chris Eberwien.
