‘Fish of a lifetime.’ 15-year-old reels in rare catch in Tennessee, captain says
A teen fisherman was surprised when he pulled a rare catfish into the boat, according to a Tennessee captain.
Edwards Tarumianz, 15, was fishing in the Tennessee River with Captain Richard Simms of Scenic City Fishing Charters, the company said on Facebook. Over the side of the boat, Edwards pulled in a “solid white” catfish.
Simms was amazed, saying, “You may catfish for the rest of your life and NEVER catch, or even see, another fish like that!” Simms said that in his 30 years of fishing, he had never seen such a catch.
In photos, the fish had a white color, slightly tinged with blue and pink.
Initially, Simms described the catfish as “albino,” the company posted. Later, the fishing company described it as “piebald,” lacking some melanin but not having a pink eye.
“No matter,” the company posted, “it could very well be the only one Edwards ever holds.” It was the “fish of a lifetime.”
The teen also landed several largemouth catfish, gar, and his personal-best smallmouth catfish, the fishing company reported.
Simms said part of his joy came from his younger fishing companion: “Edwards is one of the most polite young men I’ve ever had in the boat. And one of the most accomplished 15-year-old anglers I’ve ever been around. It was a very special morning, capped off by a catfish unlike any I’ve ever seen before — and may never see again!”
The catfish was released back into the river, Newsweek reported.
Scenic City Fishing Charters is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This story was originally published July 1, 2022 at 2:48 PM with the headline "‘Fish of a lifetime.’ 15-year-old reels in rare catch in Tennessee, captain says."
