How one man caught 76.5-pound buffalo fish at Percy Priest Lake in Nashville

Derhat Mohammed wasn't planning on catching anything big when he placed an unmanned fishing line in Percy Priest Lake.

But the fish were biting for the Nashville native who got a lot more than he bargained for when his line caught a bite around 11 p.m. on Aug. 4.

"I've been fishing at Percy Priest Lake my whole life," Mohammed said. "But that area (Anderson Road Campground) was my first time I fished."

It was Friday night, Mohammed and his friends were winding down for the day but he decided to put one more line out into a shallow part of the lake, about eight-feet deep.

Not thinking he was going to attract a big catch, Mohammed put out a light-action pole, a $20 purchase, to see if he could get a small or mid-side nibble.

He left the pole in a holder and was hanging out with friends.

Bells attached to his pole rang louder than ever, his pole in the hold was dragged down to the ground due to the brute force of the fish. As soon as he picked up the pole to tug, he knew it wasn't a normal fish on the other end.

On the other end of the line was a buffalo fish, weighing 76.5 pounds.

"I didn't want to put pressure on it, because I knew it would have cut my line instantly," Mohammed said.

A possibly record-setting catch shrouded in controversy

It was a big bite. Possibly record-setting, according to Barry Cross with Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency.

But controversy surrounds whether it is a record.

"Those were forwarded to fisheries biologists who were unable to positively identify the fish as a smallmouth buffalo or a black buffalo," Cross said. "Either way, if the fisherman had located a certified scale, (eg. feed store, grocery store) and contacted us to inspect the fish for proper identification. We could have added it to the fishing records if it exceeded the previous record. The use of certified scales allows for a level field when we announce a new record in any category."

Man battles fish at Percy Priest Lake

As soon as Mohammed reeled in, the buffalo put up a fight. It quickly became a war of attrition, who could get tired first.

After 20 minutes, it was the buffalo fish that finally succumbed.

"I put my drag on, I didn't want to put any pressure on it, I just tired him out," Mohammed said.

Although it wouldn't be official, as Mohammed weighed the fish before releasing it back into the lake.

As he tired out the fish, Mohammed wondered what could be on the other end. A carp? A sturgeon? A big catfish?

After 23 years fishing, Mohammed has caught just about everything you can locally, including what he described as a five-foot long sturgeon in Ashland City.

Because a live-action pole line would have snapped had he tried to reel all the way to land, Mohammed had one of his friends take the pole while he scooped the fish from the water. He said he wished he brought a net.

Weighing the mammoth buffalo fish

When he realized what he caught, he had to weight it. The only problem is it was the biggest fish he'd ever encountered and he had to get creative.

"Because it was so big, I couldn't even put my scale around it's mouth, it would have just ripped right through it's lips. I had to tie a small line around his gills and then put it on the hook."

Had it been verified, the gargantuan buffalo on the end of Mohammed line would have shattered the state record of 62 pounds, 7 ounces.

Mohammed said TWRA said he would not be eligible for the state record because the fish was not weighed on a certified scale.

Mohammed said he invited agents to check his scale to verify it is accurate.

Despite not having the official record, Mohammed said he is hopeful to return to the site and do battle one for time with the buffalo fish that gave him a fishing memory he won't soon forget.

"I was telling my brother I want to go back there so bad to get him again," Mohammed said.

"Whether I have the state record or not, as long as I know what I caught and weighed, that's all that matters."

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Big catch: How one man caught a 76.5-pound fish in Nashville lake