BOTHELL, Wash. -- A fisherman from Bothell caught the largest bass ever recorded in state history this week.
Bill Evans caught a 12.53-pound largemouth bass on Lake Bosworth near Marysville Monday.
"She was too strong. I wasn't expecting anything like that here," said Evans, who recently moved to Washington from Ohio with his wife.
He caught the fish under a dock using Strike King 5-inch Shim-E-Stick.
The previous record was set by Carl Pruitt in 1977. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, that fish weighed 11.57 pounds -- nearly a pound less than Evans' catch.
"I couldn't do anything with her. I couldn't muscle her around.," said Evans. "I couldn't make her go anywhere. All I could do was hold on."
Evans plans to mount the fish.