Man who caught 45-pound catfish in Green Lake may yet have state record

On hot summer days, one can spot swimmers, paddle-boaters, and schools of tiny fish in the waters of Green Lake. But it appears that much larger creatures lurk deep underneath the surface of the popular Seattle lake.

Lifelong fishing enthusiast Ahmed Majeed caught a 45-pound catfish at the lake on June 9. Majeed told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that the catch may soon be verified by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, which would make it the largest channel catfish ever caught in the state.

Fishing has been a passion for Majeed for 27 years, since he was 8 year old. After losing a large carp while fishing at Moses Lake the first weekend of June, Majeed was eager to get back out on the water. Unfortunately, his 9-5 Microsoft job kept him indoors during the week.

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“I was dreaming about going fishing the whole week,” he laughed. “It was burning me.”

Majeed had the perfect plan to catch fish the coming weekend, and knew just where to go — Green Lake.

“I have seen huge, gigantic things jumping in Green Lake … I realized where the deepest part of Green Lake was, and that’s the area I went to,” he said.

Majeed’s friends and Microsoft colleagues told him that Green Lake wasn’t a good bet for large fish and that he should try his luck elsewhere. Majeed, however, stuck to his hunch that Green Lake was the place to be.

“I prepared myself really good,” he said. “I have done so much research on Green Lake.”

Majeed arrived 10 a.m., and by noon had caught himself a 30-pound carp.

Two hours later, he found an even bigger surprise — a 4.5-foot, 45-pound catfish. It took Majeed and his friend about 20 minutes to reel in the fish.

“It was such a great fight, and I still remember when I got home, both my arms were sore,” he said.

Majeed could tell it was 40 lbs by lifting it, but when got home and put it on his scale, the catfish clocked in at 45 pounds — what would be the state record for channel catfish.

“I was shocked in my head,” he said.

Unfortunately for Majeed, WDFW needed a reading from a scale at a post office to be able to certify the record. Because it was Saturday evening, post offices were closed.

However, Majeed may still be named the record-holder — WDFW shared his photo on Instagram and will come to his house to take samples of the meat and the bones to determine the size of the fish. Majeed said that it is “very important” to have a state record.

“It means a lot to me,” he said.

In the meantime, Majeed — a cook as well as a fisherman — has plenty of catfish to enjoy at the dinner table.

“When I filleted it, the meat was beyond awesome,” he said, describing it as “a mix between catfish and halibut”

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