Matt Neuling, of Perryville, Missouri, arrowed a 125-pound, 5-ounce bighead carp on July 24 to set an alternative methods state record for the species. The fish also outweighed the existing bowfishing world record of 104-pounds, 15-ounces.
Neuling was bowfishing with his buddy on Lake Perry when they both put an arrow in what they thought was a 30-pound grass carp.
“I was out with my buddy early that morning when we both shot what we thought was a 30-pound grass carp,” Neuling told the Missouri Department of Conservation. “My buddy’s arrow pulled out, but mine shot straight through and stayed in there.”
Neuling said his friend was eventually able to shoot another arrow into the fish, but they were shocked at just how massive it turned out to be.
“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 5-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.
“When fish get this size, we estimate it to be at least 10-years-old,” said MDC Fisheries Program Specialist Andrew Branson. “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. We encourage people to harvest these fish to help remove them from our waters.”
For more information, see mdc.mo.gov.