Mandan angler Tyler Hughes fulfilled a promise to his sick mother, and put himself in the North Dakota fishing record book in the process.
Hughes earlier this month snagged a 131-pound paddlefish, tying the previous state record.
Hughes on May 3 went 4 miles south of the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in northwest North Dakota. He said he has been going to the spot on the Yellowstone ever since a friend showed it to him a few years ago. Hughes had a team of family and friends with him and said the experience was a team effort. Kellan Geiger and Taylor Schwede helped Hughes pull in the giant fish, while his wife, Deidre Hughes, took photos and managed the excited dogs. Hughes credits his wife, as she was the one who tied on the hook they used.
Just a day before the catch, Hughes was in McKinney, Texas, visiting his mother in the intensive care unit. He planned to stay with her and skip the fishing trip, but she insisted that he go.