A Chanute man set a state record when he caught a 36 1/2 pound channel catfish.

But Rick Barnow isn’t providing many details about the fishing spot that yielded that catch and another big one. A friend caught a 29-pounder during the same trip.

All Barnow will say is that the fish came from the Mined Land Wildlife Area south of Pittsburg.

Covering about 14,000 acres, the land is full of ponds and lakes created by coal mining in the early 20th Century.

After the first big catch, Barnow and three fishing buddies decided to stay the night. Barnow snagged his catch about 1:30 a.m. on May 3. But it was after sunset before he found a place to weigh the still living fish — Bockover’s Bait Shop in Chanute.

The fish stayed in a stock tank for three days until a representative from Cabela’s — an outdoor equipment and clothing store in Kansas City, Kan. — could retrieve the fish.

“We kind of wanted to leave the fish in Kansas,” Barnow said, “so he will be on display in the Cabela’s aquarium in Kansas City for everyone to see.”

The previous Kansas record for channel catfish was 34 lbs., 11 ounces. That fish was caught in the Kansas River near Lawrence by Kenneth Bradford of Lansing in 1993.