Kentucky River Floods, Man Catches 50-Pound Catfish In Front Yard

SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY — The Salt River in Bullet County is flooding, but residents seem to be making the most of an inconvenient situation. Robert Watkins, constable for the county's first district, decided to go fishing in his front yard and caught a catfish that he says weighs at least 50 pounds.

Photos posted on Facebook show Watkins reeling in a massive catfish in calf-high water outside his home in Shepherdsville. The post has been shared more than 50,000 times.

Watkins told WDRB-TV he and a friend will go out and set limb lines on a tree when the river floods. After four or five hours, they go back and see if they caught anything.

"Normally, the Salt River is good for them big cat[fish]…we'll do it every time the river gets up," he told the outlet.

Watkins said they weighed the fish on a scale that only goes up to 50 pounds. The scale maxed out.

Heather Watkins Colvin in a Facebook comment said the man was her father and that he has lived on the river his whole life.

Photo credit: Heather Watkins Colvin, used with permission