Missouri and Arkansas – On March 17, 2024, a new angler was caught that broke the world-record paddlefish catch.
Chad Williams reeled in a 164-pound, 13-ounce paddlefish from the Lake of the Ozarks. This weight breaks the previous state record of 140 pounds and the previous world record of 164 pounds. Missouri State Records are separated into separate categories of pole and line fishing and alternative methods, which can be a wide variety of things including, trotline, throw line, limb line, bank line, jug line, gig, bow, crossbow, underwater spearfishing, snagging, snaring, grabbing, and atlatl. For more information on Missouri state record fish, visit, short.mdc.mo.gov/Zcp.
During an interview with The Missouri Department of Conservation, Williams stated, ” 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. I am honestly still processing the whole thing. Conservation Agent Tyler Brown was in disbelief it was my first time snagging. He said, ‘ You don’t have to go out fishing ever again! Nothing can top this!’ and he’s probably right.”
You can see this story online at mdc.gov/newroom/angler/ and for more news from MDC you can visit, mdc.gov/newsroom.
