Lake Interlochen Monster Fish

Avid angler Ed Klobas caught a 68-pound smallmouth buffalo while fishing on the South Channel early in February. Had it been certified, the fish would be a Texas record for the largest fish ever caught on private waters. Ed hauled the big fish to his Loch Lomond residence, weighed it and then released it back into Lake Interlochen from his dock. It took about 30 minutes for Ed to pull the monster into his boat. He foul hooked it in the tail with a 7-pound line. An 18-year resident of our community, Ed fishes Lake Interlochen just about every day. The week before catching the smallmouth buffalo Ed caught a bass weighing 10 pounds, 8 ounces. A long-lived bottom-feeder, the buffalo is a fish species native to the major tributaries and surrounding waters of the Mississippi River. Specimens in excess of 82 pounds have been landed by rod and reel anglers, whereas the trotline record is 97 pounds in Texas.