GUNNISON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A father-son duo in Gunnison got the surprise of a lifetime when they reeled in the pending world record for the largest lake trout ever caught.

Scott Enloe has been fishing his whole life and frequents the Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison. May 6 was the first day he and his son, Hunter, could take the boat out on the reservoir for the season, and that weekend, they reeled in a massive fish.

After a 13-minute battle with the beast, Enloe caught a lake trout that weighed 73.29 pounds and measured nearly four feet long.

According to the International Game and Fish Association, a fish that large meant Enloe had broken the world record. Previously, the largest lake trout ever caught was by Lloyd Bull in 1995 with a fish that weighed 72 pounds.

Enloe said he also broke the state record which was caught by Donald Walker in 2007 with a Colorado lake trout that weighed 50 pounds.

However, his world-record title is currently pending. Enloe said he weighed and measured the fish but then returned it to the water, a move that could hurt his chances of making the record books.

“I released the fish alive, and as bad as it sounds they frown upon that, they want to kill the fish. But this fish was estimated to be a 60-year-old fish, possibly an original fish when they impounded Blue Mesa Reservoir,” said Enloe.

So, not only did Enloe break a world record, he caught a fish that possibly dates back to 1966 when the largest lake in Colorado first damned up.

Enloe said he never considered killing the fish and doesn’t mind if he doesn’t make it into the record books.

“Whether it goes in the official record books or not, that’s fine with me because I’m happy that I released the fish alive,” said Enloe.

Previously, the second biggest fish Enloe ever caught was a 36-pound lake trout. Now he can brag about bagging a fish more than double that size.