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June 16, 2006
Paris, Missouri - News of state fishing records has become
a drumbeat this year, with almost monthly reports of new records
from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The latest fish to
better a previous mark is a shortnose gar from northeastern
Missouri.
Brad Smith, 45, from the Ralls County hamlet of Center, used a bow
and arrow to set a new record in the Alternative Methods category.
He shot the 13-pound, 47-inch fish at Mark Twain Lake June 16. It
topped the previous record of 12 pounds, 3 ounces set by Willard
resident Greg Rippee at Pomme de Terre Lake in 1997.
Other state-record fish caught this year include a 9-pound, 10-ounce
river redhorse sucker in January, a 5-pound black crappie in April
and a 6-pound, 6-ounce yellow bullhead in May. The crappie and
bullhead each exceeds the record for its species recognized by the
International Game Fish Association in Diana Beach, Fla.
Smith earned his record the hard way, bettering a mark set by
another angler. An easier route to fame would be catching a
shortnose gar weighing at least 3 pounds on pole line and lure. That
is because the pole-line-and-lure record for shortnose gar is open -
no one has ever bothered to apply for it. The first record for any
fish species must meet the minimum qualifying weight for the
Conservation Department's Master Angler Program.
Missouri's state-record fish list reveals lots of other low-hanging
fruit for those intent on setting a record. In the
pole-line-and-lure category, no records exist for Alabama shad,
highfin carpsucker, river carpsucker, spotted carpsucker, burbot,
white perch, shadow bass or Ozark bass. In the Alternative Methods
category, open records include the shovelnose sturgeon, mooneye,
Alabama shad, skipjack herring, highfin carpsucker, river carpsucker,
shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, white sucker, white perch,
hybrid black bass, sauger, yellow perch, grass pickerel,
muskellunge, brown trout, burbot, hybrid striped bass, white bass,
yellow bass, Ozark Bass or hybrid sunfish.
Besides bowfishing, alternative fishing methods include snagging,
snaring, gigging, jug lines, limb lines, bank lines and trotlines.
Some methods may not be legal for some species, so check fishing
regulations before setting out to catch your record.
To qualify as a state record, a fish must be taken by legal methods
and be a species that is included on the state-record fish list.
Record fish must be weighed on certified scales in the presence of
Conservation Department personnel, and their species must be
verified by a Conservation Department fisheries biologist. Finally,
a color photo of the fish is required.
A complete list of Missouri fishing records is available online at
www.missouriconservation.org. Rules and entry forms also are
available online, along with details of the Master Angler program.
Click on keywords "Fishing" and "Browse Fishing by Subject."
Check out the other
Missouri State Bow Fishing Records |
