'It Was A Shock': Utah Man Caught Large Fish In Pond That Didn't Belong

One Utah fisherman got a big surprise from a small pond this past weekend, reported KSL.

A man caught a 17 pound koi fish in a small pond in Utah County.

The Division of Wildlife Resources said that specific kind of carp never should have been in the pond in the first place.

Jeremy Haws has fished at the Highland Glenn Pond every single week for 40 years, so he's well-versed on what to expect, like trout, large-mouth bass, blue gill, and catfish. It is regularly restocked by the DWR.

Haws said, "Well, I keep catching fish. Biggest large-mouth bass I caught was maybe five pounds."

He definitely wasn't expecting a huge koi.

Haws explained, "It was a shock when I hooked into it, just by how much it bent the pole. It pulled my drag and it kept pulling and pulling and pulling. I'd reel it in and it just kept pulling and I was like, man this thing is huge! Like what could possibly be in here that's that big?"

The DWR said that koi fish are invasive, and usually end up in ponds when people dump their old pets in them.

Haws joked, "It's the most memorable fish I've caught ever, really."

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