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Held caught a 7-pound, 3-ounce smallie on Horseshoe Lake in northeast South Dakota near Webster, breaking the previous state record by three ounces.

The catch has not been announced by the state Game, Fish and Parks Department yet, but Held says the fish was weighed and certified and the information was notarized.

�It feels like a dream,� Held said Saturday night. �It just feels weird because we knew it was possible and then it happened.�

The fish, a female full of eggs, was 19 inches long and had a 19-inch girth.

�I�ve never seen anything so fat. It was so fat its eyes were bulging. It was a freak,� Held said.

Yes, they released the fish alive back into the lake. Which was a feat unto itself.

After getting the fish in the boat and realizing it was likely the state record, Held called a SDGFP biologist in Webster. They talked over the legality of transporting the fish to be weighed, certified and released.

They decided the best course of action was to drive to Webster, buy a large Rubbermaid container, fill it with water and put the fish in it. Held and Ehlert drove from the lake to Sportsmen�s Cove in Webster, weighed and certified the fish, then drove back to Horseshoe Lake for the release.

�It was a pretty cool experience, especially to see it swim away,� Held said. �It was three years of preparation. We�ve been working on this lake for three years and the stars aligned today.�