iStockphoto / Marina Vedernikova
A man from Kansas was fishing on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks for opening day of paddlefish fishing season when he landed a new world record paddlefish weighing 164-pounds and 13-ounces.
This massive fish broke the previous world record for paddlefish that was set back in 2021 when angler Grant Rader of Wichita, Kansas landed a 164-pound paddlefish on Keystone Lake in Oklahoma. At the time, that 2021 record broke the previous record which stood at 151 pounds by a whopping 13 pounds.
This new world record paddlefish bests the previous world record by 13 ounces and it also demolished the previous state fishing record which was 140 pounds, according to a press release from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Making this record even more special, it was his FIRST TIME ever going ‘snagging’ for paddlefish.
Missouri Department of Conservation
Angler Chad Williams of Olathe, Kansas told the Missouri Department of Conversation about his world record-setting catch. Saying “I was lucky enough to get invited to go out snagging with friends. I’d never been snagging before. Never seen a paddlefish – didn’t even know what it was!”
He added that his mind was playing tricks on him after he’d hooked the fish. Telling the MDC “I was thinking I was extremely weak because it was taking so long to reel in. My body was aching.”
Once he landed the fish, Chad Williams and his friends knew they had a potential world record paddlefish in the boat. So they packed it up and met a MDC Fisheries and Protection staff member at the nearby Three Brothers Meat Company. Once there, they were able to get the fish weighed on a certified scale.
They kept some of the meat from the fish and shared the rest with their fishing friends and Chad Williams now plans to have the head taxidermied as a trophy to remember his fishing world record forever.
MDC Fisheries and Protection agent Tyler Brown “was in disbelief” that it was Chad’s first time snagging paddlefish and he’d just landed a new world record. The agent joked with him, saying “you don’t have to go out fishing ever again! Nothing can top this!”
Previous paddlefish records have mostly been set in Oklahoma. It will be interesting to see if this new world record gets topped this season in another state now that anglers have a new benchmark to aim for.
What’s up with paddlefish?
Paddlefish are filter feeders which is the reason for their weird gaping mouths.
In order to catch a paddlefish you need to snag one and then reel it in. These fish can reportedly live over 50 years and grow over 400-pounds but they were nearly extinct in parts of the USA after over-harvesting. They’ve seen received protected status and have been reintroduced in areas where their stocks dwindled.
This all new fishing world record from Missouri is a great sign this species is making a strong comeback.