When angler Joe Capilupo went fishing Monday night at Monroe Harbor from the downtown Chicago Lake Michigan shoreline, he had no idea he'd end up smashing a longstanding record. But as it turns out, Capilupo landed a 7-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth bass that shattered the 1985 state record of 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

Capilupo and two of his fishing buddies were night fishing from shore, where they target smallmouth several times per week. At 10:50 p.m., just 10 minutes before the park was scheduled to close, the monster smallmouth hit. Once they weighed the fish on handheld scales, they were pretty sure they had a chance at breaking the state record. That's when Capilupo, a corrections officer, contacted a friend who rushed to a nearby Walgreens to buy large garbage bags. Their plan was to transport the giant smallmouth in water-filled garbage bags to get an official weight on a certified scale, while aiming for a live release after the weight was recorded.

The bass was 22 1/4 inches long and 16 1/2 inches in girth.

At of the time of this writing, the record smallmouth is being meticulously cared for. Biologists plan to allow the fish to recuperate overnight in a special holding tank before being released back into Lake Michigan. Capilupo will have a replica made.