PERRYVILLE, Mo. (KMOX) - That photo is no optical illusion. That is a human-sized fish that was caught in Missouri and it's a new world record.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) confirmed Matt Neuling caught the massive 125-pound, 5-ounce bighead carp last month on Lake Perry in Perryville. It's a state and world record catch with alternative methods.
He was bowfishing with a friend and they were shocked when they pulled it in.
“We just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “We knew what type of fish it was, but we had never seen one that size. This thing is a straight up monster. A five-gallon bucket could easily fit in its mouth. If my buddy wasn’t with me, there was no way I could have pulled it out of the water.”
The carp was weighed on a certified scale in Perry County. It’s the ninth state record fish recorded in 2021. This catch beat the existing bowfishing world record of 104-pounds, 15-ounces.
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The fish is believed to be at least 10-years-old, but the MDC took the head of the fish in an attempt to find a more exact age. The rest of the fish was used as catfish bait, Nueling said.
“It’s just crazy,” laughed Neuling. “You know, I set that goal of breaking a record every time I go out to fish, but I never would have thought I’d be breaking a record with this fish.”
“Bighead carp are an invasive fish from Asia. This particular fish is an example of just how well an invasive species can thrive if given the opportunity," MDC Fisheries Program Specialist Andrew Branson. "We encourage people to harvest these fish to help remove them from our waters.”
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