Massive 'scale-breaking' catfish caught in Southern California lake; 'Catzilla' still on the loose

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Set us as preferred A normally serene lake in the high desert region of San Bernardino County is buzzing this week with news that a scale-breaking fish was recently landed, and another monster fish, known to locals as “Catzilla,” still lurks in the lake’s dark depths.On Sunday, Javier Fuentes woke up at 4:30 a.m.to prep for an all-day fishing excursion at Hesperia Lake Park, which opens to anglers at 6 a.m.Fuentes, a construction worker, is a dedicated angler who often spends his days off reeling in fish from the lake and then turning over his catch to his wife for cleaning and preparing for dinner.

“They’re a team,” said Carla Prieto, Fuentes’ daughter-in-law.He’s caught large fish before, Prieto said, but on Sunday Fuentes managed to reel in a 30-pound catfish that “literally broke the scale.” In the Hesperia Recreation and Park District’s Facebook post, Fuentes is seen grinning while gripping his landing net that can’t contain the massive catfish — the fish’s tail end is shown dangling out of the net.

The state records for catfish range from 22 pounds to 113 pounds, depending on the species.But it has been decades since any of those records were set.

California After being hunted to extinction a century ago, gray wolves are continuing their remarkable comeback story in California, with state wildlife officials reporting a modern record number of the apex predators in 2025.Prieto wasn’t entirely surprised her father-in-law landed the 30-pounder because she said he’s very dedicated to the sport.“There’s literally about 20 to 30 catfish from the lake in the freezer,” she said.

“This guy is all about it.”When he came home with the monster catfish on Sunday, Prieto said she heard her mother-in-law’s exclaiming, “He caught a big fish,” before she laid eyes on the scaly creature....