Perhaps Dan Zak’s “digression” in the Post last week was less whimsy and more warning. Because tucked inside The Washington Postthe Associated Press today has a story about a Virginia woman catching the largest freshwater drum in the state’s recorded history.

Seriously, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries confirmed that Nancy Cash, of Martinsville, caught a drum weighing in at 26 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 38.5 inches in length.

And she caught it last month! Cash caught the fish on July 10, when she took it to a local bait shop to confirm its species and weight:

Cash caught the fish at Buggs Island Lake on July 10. She battled it for 15 minutes before her fishing partner was able to net it and bring it in. The fish was taken to Bobcat’s Bait and Tackle in Clarksville where fisheries biologist Vic DiCenzo was able to confirm its species, size and weight.

Is the AP telling us that we’ve been waiting a whole month to find out if Cash caught the largest recorded specimen of a mostly unremarkable fish? Maybe everything has been parallaxed to hell.

The freshwater drum isn’t even that interesting of an example of aquatic life. Back in 2000, The Straight Dope legitimately considered the possibility that the drum is the world’s most useless fish. The ultimate verdict was that while there are plenty more fascinating fish, but there are still lots of good recipes for drum. The species is a staple of Cajun cuisine.

But seriously, a giant fish story? I feel a little rotted. And hungry for Cajun cooking.

Correction: The fish story is the work of the Associated Press, not The Washington Post, and was posted automatically on the Post’s website but without credit to the AP. But it is getting some play on the Post’s regional homepage.