Heads turned outside of the Daily Bee office Wednesday afternoon as Sandpoint couple Darryl and Sharon Webb hoisted up their prized catch of the day — a 12.2-pound, 29-inch log catfish from Round Lake. 

Gasps of enthusiasm escaped from the crowd as Darryl Webber opened the lid to his cooler, revealing the large, glistening creature.

Webber caught the fish on a simple nightcrawler intended for trout. The couple was surprised to find a hefty catfish on the line. Both Darryl and Sharon matched ear-to-ear grins as bystanders passed the Daily Bee and asked questions about the catch. 

The couple decided to spend Wednesday morning participating in one of their leisure activities.

"We do fish together when she's not doing her sewing or Bible study," said Darryl Webb, adding that he had hoped to catch some trout.

Not long after casting their poles, the catfish struck.

The couple immediately took action, but the fish put up a good fight. For ten minutes, it thrashed and swam, testing Webb's endurance.

Finally, Sharon Webb scooped the fish into the boat with a nearby fishing net. She initially grabbed the net's handle, but it cracked, prompting her to quickly grab both sides of the ring of the net before heaving it in.

"Ten minutes later, I had a big old fish in the boat," said Darryl Webb.

Originally from the East, Darryl said he's no stranger to big fish.

"I'm used to seeing them like that, but on round lake and a nice-looking fish like that, you don't run across that all the time," said Webb.

The couple took the catch to a friend who cooked the fish.

"It was probably well over seven pounds of nothing but fillet," said Webb.

Have a prized catch or kill this year? Send your accomplishments to the Daily Bee at [email protected]