UTAH COUNTY, Utah — A Utah couple has a fish tale they'll be able to share for years after snaring a rare albino catfish in Utah Lake.
Jesus and Carmelita Hernandez were out at the lake on Saturday they got the surprise of a lifetime.
Photos and video showed Jesus holding the fish before returning it to the lake.
At first, Carmelita was as surprised as anyone.
“[Jesus] called me, and he's like, 'Guess what I just caught?' I was like, what? And he's like, "An albino catfish!' I was like, what? What do you mean, an albino catfish? And he sent me a picture, and I'm like, I'm on my way. Do not release it. I'm on my way.”
Catching an albino catfish in the wild is described as a rare occurrence. Their color comes from a recessive trait, with the Missouri Department of Conservation adding that most don't survive because they are more noticeable to predators.
Video below shows rare albino catfish caught in Utah Lake:
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources seemed just as surprised as the couple about the catch.
“Pretty darn cool to see," said Michael Packer, DWR Central Regional Outreach Manager. "As an angler myself, it's something that you don't often see coming out of Utah Lake. Utah Lake is a very big system. It holds a lot of fish. [The] Chances of intercepting or an angler catching an albino is very rare.”
DWR officials said they actively stock ponds and other waterbodies with Arkansas channel cats, so if it had been caught there, it wouldn't have been as rare.
"But for it to come out of Utah Lake, that’s a rare catch for sure," said DWR.
After the Hernandez's posted their catch to social media, many applauded the moment and shared how happy they were to see it returned to the lake.
