https://www.foxnews.com/us/nm-boy-catches-42-pound-catfishBy Louis Casiano | Fox News
In this photo taken Nov. 10, Alex Flores, 9, holds a 42-pound blue catfish. (Kris Flores via AP)
Alex, a fourth-grader, named the fish Wailord after a Pokemon character.
The fish was released back into the water after taking photos and videos, said Kris Flores, who runs a catfish guide service at the reservoir and has his own YouTube channel, "Muddy River Catfishing."
He said he has a policy of releasing any fish weighing over 10 pounds.
"Anything over 10 pounds we release back into the water because that means that fish is the one that passes the genes," he said.
The largest blue catfish ever caught at Elephant Butte weighed 78 pounds and measured four feet long, according to the New Mexico News Port.
