Did this brave fisherman prevent a Carp-aggedon?
An Oklahoma angler set a state and possible world record — and helped avert an environmental disaster — in one fell swoop after landing a monstrous human-sized invasive “alien” carp that was potentially pregnant with millions of eggs.
The eco-friendly catch was detailed recently in a Facebook post by the Oklahoma Department Of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC).
“It was the most powerful fish I’ve ever had on my line,” Bryan Baker said while describing his quarry, which he landed while fishing in the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees at the foothills of the Ozarks.
The Oklahoman told Outdoor Life that he had spotted the lake monster on his boat’s sonar, after which, he made a cast and snagged it.
Baker soon realized this was no ordinary catch.
“I knew right away that it was something unlike I’ve ever caught before,” the angler exclaimed. “It was unreal; like tying your fishing line onto a four-wheeler ATV and letting it take off, and you try to slow it down – it’s almost impossible.”
Despite using a 100-pound braided test line, the angler had to pursue the carp in his boat to stop his line from breaking.
After an “epic” six-minute battle, the professional fishing guide was finally able to best the behemoth.
“Once it did come to the surface, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I was so relieved I hit my knees and I thanked god; I couldn’t believe I’d got him in. I was overwhelmed and just drained.”
The fish was a Bighead carp, an invasive species from Asia that wreaks havoc across North American Waterways.
At a whopping 118 pounds — around the same size as an average 14-year-old boy — his specimen smashed the state record of 90 lbs set in 2005.
Alas, his fish won’t be counted by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) as it was snagged rather than baited.
Either way, this might not be the only record of his colossal carp crushed.
“Based upon all the research that I’ve done – at least based on hook and line – this is the world record bighead carp,” said Quinton Phelps, professor of ichthyology at Missouri State University. “I’ve held tens of thousands of freshwater fish, and this is hands-down the biggest freshwater fish that I have ever seen in person. It looked fake – but it’s not.”
Based on the weight of its ovaries, experts estimated that the filter feeder — estimated to be 40 years old — could’ve been pregnant with up to millions of eggs.
Phelps suggested catching it could’ve prevented at least 11,000 new carp from being born.
In accordance, Baker’s colossal carp earned him praise from the ODWC, which urges anglers to target this species due to the environmental devastation they cause by eating “large quantities of zooplankton, aquatic insect larvae and adults.”
“Because of their feeding habits, bighead carp are a direct competitor with our native species like paddlefish, and bigmouth buffalo; as well as all larval and juvenile fishes and native mussels,” they wrote. “If you catch this invasive species DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE WATER. Please report any caught bighead carp to our Porter Office at 918-683-1031 or 918-200-4815.”
“I get messages a dozen or more times a day thanking me for getting it out of the reservoir,” said Baker, who fried the fish’s filets up as a special treat.
Interestingly, the bighead carp is a delicacy in Hunan, China, where its noggin is served splayed in half and carpeted in chilies like a fiery, confetti-covered parade float.
Speaking of American river monsters, last month an Arkansas angler landed a 102-pound prehistoric paddlefish after an hour-long battle — from his kayak, no less.