(WWJ) -- For the second time in three years, there is a new record for the largest bigmouth buffalo caught in the state of Michigan.
Earlier in May, Tyler Fisher of St. Charles, Mich., caught a record-breaking bigmouth buffalo -- 32.01 lbs., and 38 inches long -- while bowfishing in the Shiawassee River in Saginaw County, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Kathrin Schrouder, a DNR fisheries biologist out of Bay City, verified the new record.
The monster fish was big enough to unseat the previous record-holder -- Roy Beasley of Madison Heights. Beasley had set the previous bigmouth buffalo state record with a 27-lb., 35.25-inch fish he caught while bowfishing on Monroe County’s River Raisin in May 2017.
Over the last 10 years, anglers have caught 14 state-record fish in Michigan -- a tribute to the growth and health of the state’s world-class fisheries and the long-term management efforts that help sustain them, the DNR said.
An estimated 1.1 million licensed anglers a year contribute $2.3 billion to Michigan’s economy, according to a recent Michigan United Conservation Clubs study. The DNR says plentiful opportunities to fish a variety of species continue to draw both new anglers and accomplished veterans to Michigan waters.
State-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify for a state record, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight, and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.
The DNR reminds anglers who bowfish to properly dispose of all specimens they harvest. See the current roster of record-setting fish.