Jamie Wilhoite reeled in a confirmed state record-breaking goldeneye in Northeastern Arkansas.
While fishing for "anything that would bite," Arkansas angler Jamie Wilhoite managed to catch her second-ever goldeneye on April 2, 2021, and it would turn out to be the largest officially-documented fish of its kind ever caught in the state.
After confirmation from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), Wilhoite had sole possession of the new state goldeneye record.
The New Arkansas State Record Goldeneye
As it turned out, this wasn't the first goldeneye Wilhoite had caught in Arkansas. The freshwater species that's normally found in fisheries much farther north, especially Canada, was unknown to Wilhoite and her husband when they first encountered it. By the time she caught this second one, Jamie knew it was likely a competitor for biggest ever landed in the state.
The new record weight of 2 pounds, 3.6 ounces easily surpassed the old record of 1 pound, 10 ounces.
Wilhoite described the feeling of catching a state record fish as "awesome," telling the AGFC, "I got so tickled, I was so excited."
Jamie says she and her husband fish all year at various spots around Manila, including Mallard Lake and Big Lake. The Simmons Field structure and the outlet ditch are just above Mallard Lake. "We fish just about every ditch from here to Jonesboro," she said.
That fateful day they were after catfish, and Jamie was using a nightcrawler with a bottom presentation. Catching a goldeye came as quite the surprise. She said she typically fishes for crappie and catfish in the spring.
The overall all-tackle world record for goldeneye is 3 pounds, 13 ounces held by Gary Heuer, of Aberdeen, South Dakota.
NEXT: NEW MISSOURI ALTERNATIVE METHOD STATE RECORD SUNFISH WEIGHS A WHOPPING 4 OUNCES
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