Fishermen and fisherwomen alike dream of having a perfect day at the lake but two Arizona fishermen unexpectedly had their days earlier this month.

On June 10, a man snagged a flathead catfish weighing nearly 33 pounds in Patagonia Lake.

Mark Hart, a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said the catching of a fish that large is uncommon but not rare. The department usually reports one caught every year.

Previously, a 56.2-pound flathead catfish was wrangled out of the Patagonia Lake in 2014 by Rich Stachel. He told the Game and Fish Department that he was originally fishing for bass.

A new state record and world record could be set by a fisherman who pulled a "monster" Gila trout out of the Goldwater Lake in Prescott June 2.

David Worsham told the department the more than 5-pound fish originally felt like a catfish when he snagged it. 

One fisherman also had an unusual catch earlier this year. A 49-year-old man caught a Pacu fish which ignited "experts" on social media to weigh in about its species. He told the Star it even tried to bite him.

Hart said the fish resembled a piranha but their fisheries manager confirmed it was actually a Pacu Fish.


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Contact Star reporter Shaq Davis at 573-4218 or sdavis@tucson.com

On Twitter: @ShaqDavis1