"State Record": Angler Catches Huge 118-Pound "Pesky" Bighead Carp In Oklahoma

An appeal to anglers to help fight the pesky bighead carp population has resulted in one experienced angler catching the state's record fish – a huge specimen weighing a whopping 118 pounds.

Bryan Baker, a fishing guide with Spoonbill Wreckers, responded to a call from Oklahoma state authorities. He caught the huge fish in May from Grand Lake Cherokee in northeastern Oklahoma in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

"We've asked skilled anglers to help capture invasive bighead carp from Grand Lake, and Oklahoma anglers have answered the call!" The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) posted a message on Facebook on May 12 stating that Baker "broke our first state record for bighead carp."

In the comments section below, they added:

"We consider it a credit to our state that this monster was caught from us!"

Spoonbill Wreckers shared a few additional facts in the comments section, telling that the large fish "had a total reproductive body weight of 32 pounds" and approximately 8 to 11 million eggs inside its huge bloated belly. Comments from surprised net users included, "Thanks for catching it!" and "It must have lived in Grand for a very long time."

The bighead carp is native to East Asia. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the dark gray fish with a large body has a big head and a large toothless mouth with a protruding lower jaw. They can grow to almost 5 feet in length and usually reach 40 pounds in weight, although there are a few reported bigheads weighing more than 100 lbs.

This species was first introduced to the United States in 1973 to improve water quality and increase fish production in ponds. It was listed as an invasive species under 2011 federal Lacey Act, and some states have begun using commercial fishing to reduce its numbers.

The bighead carp is considered an invasive species because of its eating habits. They consume so much zooplankton, as well as larvae and adult insects, that there is not enough food left for native pond dwellers such as paddlefish, largemouth buffalo, mussels, and "all larval and juvenile fishes." The ODWC asks anglers: "If you catch this invasive species DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE WATER."

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Source: epochtimes

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