A Utica angler reeled in 'the fish of 10,000 casts' for a moment of a lifetime.

Pat Brady has been fishing for a while but he didn't start getting serious about it until a couple of years ago. "I’m a catch and release fisherman and love the sport."

Until recently, Brady has never gotten close to reeling in the big one. That all changed one day on the Mohawk River when he caught a beautiful 44-inch Tiger Muskie. "It was such a subtle bite I initially thought it had gotten caught on a rock."

That's No Rock

It was no rock. Brady had hooked himself a big one. "I knew it was a big one but didn't expect this to be on the end of my line. I was in complete astonishment."

 

Credit - Pat Brady
Credit - Pat Brady
loading...

Family Affair

To make the special moment even better, Brady's girlfriend and 6-month-old son were there when he reeled it in. "She came down for the net job but was unsure on how to net such a behemoth," said Brady. "So I handed my pole over to her and got into the water and netted her up myself."

Credit - Pat Brady
Credit - Pat Brady
loading...

Same River, Different Fish

Chad Johnson just reeled in two giant fish from the Mohawk River and Brady was with him when he caught the 45-inch pike. "I was repaid about 3 minutes down the road from where he reeled in his monster," said Brady.

Chad Jackson
Chad Jackson
loading...

Size Doesn't Matter

Brady's Tiger Muskie measured one inch shorter than his buddy's catch, but size doesn't matter. It was all about the moment, that he won't soon forget. "I’ve never gotten close to a 40” let alone an almost 4-footer. It was the fish of 10,000 casts."

After taking a few pictures, Brady released the muskie back into the water.

Credit - Pat Brady
Credit - Pat Brady
loading...

If you like to fish, you may want to consider the Mohawk River after the monsters Brady and Johnson have reeled in recently.

Fisherman Gets Up Close Look at Majestic Moose in the Adirondacks

Photos: Massive Eagles Fight Over Fish on the Hudson

More From 96.9 WOUR