Reserve Recruiter's son catches Texas record Published Jan. 23, 2008 By Master Sgt. Jason Tudor Air Force Reserve Command Recruiting Service ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- They thought they were finished. Nothing caught. Nothing biting. The three anglers were clock watching, waiting for high noon on Cedar Creek Lake in North Texas, when one of the poles bent into a familiar shape. "We knew it was big," said Mitchell Kimbrough, 15, who walked to his fishing rod and picked it up. "I started reeling it in and almost lost my balance." Fifteen minutes later, the son of Air Force Reserve recruiter Master Sgt. Kelly Kimbrough, set a Texas record hauling in a 47.5-pound blue catfish. Mitchell set the mark for children 17 and under, just five pounds shy of the adult record. Mitchell also earned a "Big Fish Award" as well as a catch-and-release award, all from the Texas parks and Wildlife Commission. Sergeant Kimbrough, an in-service recruiter at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., said luck went Mitchell's way that day. "We have been trying for a couple of years to fish this lake in the winter when those big blue cats are caught," he said. "All the stars lined up just right." Mitchell, his father and fishing guide Claude Jones left out on a flat-bottom boat at about 7 a.m. Dec. 31 and were having no luck, according to Mitchell. Mitchell said the threesome were relaxing, waiting for lunchtime when the strike came. When Mitchell righted himself with his fishing rod, he still hadn't realized what he had. "It was about 10 feet from the boat when it flashed its belly out of the water. It started to go away from the boat and right then, I felt like I was on the Discovery Channel," Mitchell said. Eventually, Mr. Jones netted the fish and dad readied the camera. Dad had a reason to be jealous of his son's catch. "The biggest fish I have ever caught weight 33.7 pounds - and that was the day before!" Sergeant Kimbrough said. "So, Mitchell has me beat. So far." Officially weighed and measured, the threesome released the blue cat back into Cedar Creek Lake "so that the fish population stays good for years to come," Sergeant Kimbrough said. Meanwhile, Mitchell's not finished with fishing or school. On the honor roll and playing on the high school football team, Mitchell has his sights set on college (Texas A & M or Texas Tech) and possibly a career in the Air Force Reserve. He's more pragmatic about "what's next" in his fishing career. "This is big, but it's a starting point," he concluded. "I just hope I can go out and set some more records. I love fishing."