Earlier this month, Bryan Baker of Miami, Oklahoma reeled in a massive catch.
He brought in an invasive bighead carp that has been declared a new state record!
Baker has run Spoonbill Wreckers guide service for fourteen years. He typically goes after paddlefish but once the invasive species hit the Neosho River, he started fishing for them as well.
The battle actually went on for days. Baker had spotted the fish twice before but lost it both times.
“I was in 12 feet of water when I spotted the huge fish on my boat’s Liverscope sonar, made a cast, snagged the fish, and had it at the boat and in it in just six minutes. I don’t mess around with these big fish. So when I got her close to my boat, I grabbed her with my hands and hauled her aboard,” he told Outdoor Life.
Baker’s fish weighed in at 118 pounds, 3 ounces. The previous state record was caught from the same river but only weighed just over 110 pounds.
Story via Bob McNally with Outdoor Life