MARICOPA COUNTY - There is a photo lurking on the internet of a giant catfish which is claimed to be living in Canyon Lake. Fortunately for those of us in Arizona, (and probably everywhere else in America) there's nothing to worry about.
Nick Walter with the Arizona Game and Fish Department said the largest fish ever caught in the state is a catfish, but it was not found in Canyon Lake.
"76 pounds, 8.6 ounces taken out of Bartlett (Lake) so there are some big flatheads out there." Walter says.
76 pounds is a huge fish, but it is not the fish in this picture, nor is this picture even taken in Arizona. A quick Google image search shows the exact same picture being used in articles dating all the way back to 2015.
The person who posted the viral image admitted to 12 News the photo is two years old and taken in Canyon Lake, Texas. Anybody thinking the image is from Canyon Lake, Arizona is mistaken.
It seems the lies go even deeper as many other articles online say the picture from 2015 was taken at Possum Kingdom Lake. That particular body of water is nearly 300 miles away from Canyon Lake in Texas.
Long fish tale short, there's nothing to be worried about for anybody swimming in Canyon Lake, Arizona or Texas. Oddly enough, you can't believe everything on the internet.