A video of a Kewanee fisherman showing off his massive catch from a local pond has gone viral. By Sunday, the TikTok video had been viewed over 52,000 times.
Jonathan Hallman knew there were big fish lurking in Windmont Park lagoon. He just didn’t expect one to test his line quite like this.
Hallman, an avid fisherman, was casting from the shore of the pond Thursday when something heavy struck his lure. What followed was a fight he won’t soon forget.
Hallman reeled in a flathead catfish, likely around 40 pounds, he said, though he didn’t weigh it. Hallman caught it using a Bill Lewis Rat‑L‑Trap lure in pumpkin seed color.
“I was using a 15‑pound test line,” he said. “It’s not as big as what I catch out in the canal, but it put up a fight.”
Hallman said he’s long suspected the small pond at Windmont Park holds some impressive fish. Two years ago, he landed a six-pound bass.
He often fishes the Hennepin Canal, where his largest catch topped 50 pounds, and he regularly casts a line at Johnson‑Sauk Trail State Recreation Area.
Like many anglers, Hallman didn’t keep his catch. Instead, he recorded the release and put the catfish back in the pond so another fisherman might one day have a great fish tale to tell.
