There are all kinds of fish in the ocean, and in the freshwater lakes and rivers that ripple throughout the nation. Each year all sorts of irregular anomalies, and gigantic whoppers, are yanked out of the depths by eager anglers. And every year, records—some that have stood for decades—are broken. There's always a bigger fish, really.
It's fascinating to see what comes out of the water after a fight; it's part of what intrigues us so much about fishing. The possibility of breaking records is just icing on the cake.
But we love icing—and huge fish. So here's a look at some of the best fish stories to come out of this past year. None of these folks set out to catch record-breaking fish, but all ended up connecting with one. That's the wild world of fishing! Next year, it could be you.
1. A Fat West Virginia Blue Catfish
West Virginia DNR
For the fourth consecutive year in a row, the West Virginia state record for the largest blue catfish by weight has been broken.
Michael John Drake of St. Albans, WV, was fishing in December when he reeled in this enormous, 69.45 pound, 50.51 inches blue catfish. Drake was in his fishing boat using fishing using cut shad near the R.C. Byrd Pool of the Ohio River when he landed the beauty. The blue catfish was measured and verified by WVDNR hatchery manager Ryan Bosserman. The fish was released.
The previous record blue catfish, which held the title since just last year, weighed 67.22 pounds and measured 50.70 inches. That record fish was caught by angler by Steven Price, according to the West Virginia Division of National Resources.
2. "Pleasant Surprise" Award: Missouri Skipjack Herring
Missouri Dept of Conservation
Anthony Rozniak was targeting catfish on the Missouri River with his brother on Dec. 6 when he reeled in a huge skipjack herring that tied the Missouri pole-and-line records for the fish that were set in 2017 and 2019, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"We had only been out fishing for 15 minutes by the time I caught it," Rozniak said. "I looked at my brother and said, 'I hate to cancel our fishing trip, but we got a state record! We got to go!"
The three-pound skipjack was weighed on a certified scale at MDC's St. Louis Regional office. Lots of records were broken in Missouri this year, too; this is the fifth state record fish recorded for 2023.
Rozniak practically manifested this record fish.
"It's funny because about five months ago, I did look through the list of state records and said to my brother, if we did break one, it would be a skipjack," he said. "I honestly never thought it would happen, but I feel extremely lucky."
Rozniakplans to have the fish mounted.
3. Kansas Spotted Gar—With a Bow
KDWP
This one flew a bit under the radar. Michal Starr Jr., of Parsons, Kansas, broke a 40-year state fishing record for spotted gar earlier this year while bowfishing. His big catch was a 34.5-inch spotted gar weighing in at 7.98 pounds that he yanked in at Big Hill Reservoir in Labette County in July. Before that, the state fishing record for spotted gar in Kansas had been held since 1983 by a bow-angler named Charles Harbert of Arma. Arma connected with his record-breaking gar, which measured in at 33.5 inches and weighed 7.75 pounds, at the Chetopa Dam.
4. A Bonkers Illinois Carp
Illinois River Biological Station
Everything about this Illinois Carp is totally bonkers. This fish smashes the state record, but based on a technicality, it's not a record-breaker. We'll call it an almost-record-breaker, and it was caught accidentally by a commercial fisherman.
Commercial fisherman Charlie Gilpin Jr. pulled in the massive 109-pound bighead carp June 14 while working with a crew on an invasive species removal project on the upper Illinois River. Because the 109-pound monster was caught in a net, it is not eligible for record status in Illinois, despite being 17 pounds heavier than the standing Illinois bowfishing record and almost 20 pounds over the International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record for the species.
Carp are invasive in the Illinois River and the Illinois River Biological Station research facility, with whom Gilpin was working, were engaging in a project reduce carp numbers when the whopper carp was netted.
5. A Dog-Sized Almaco Jack in North Carolina
Captain Terry Nugent
The fishing was already great off the coast of North Carolina Nov. 8, but when Matt Frattasio hooked into a rare almaco jack fish, it made it a record-breaking day. His catch would establish a new state record for the species.
Frattasio was fishing with Capt. Terry Nugent of Riptide Charters near an old shipwreck, known as the D wreck, off the coast of Morehead City, North Carolina. The crew had been kept busy reeling in lots of fish, mostly decent-sized amberjacks, but as soon as Nugent caught sight of Frattasio's catch, he knew it was different. It sure was. It was a 26-pound, 15.6-ounce Seriola rivoliana—otherwise known as an almaco jack—a fish so rarely caught in waters this far north that the state didn't even have a category established for it. of course, that changed with Frattasio's historic catch, which he had help landing, by Nugent.
Have a record (or personal best) catch you want to share with Wide Open Spaces? Send a description and a picture to [email protected].
