The Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed that a 97-pound bighead carp caught from the Mississippi River this week is in fact the world's biggest.
In Friday's announcement, the department introduced George Chance, of Festus, Missouri, as the latest state and world record holder. His catch beat the previous record by 17 pounds, which was caught from the Lake of the Ozarks back in 2004.
Chance told the department that the fish fought back for around 20 minutes before he was able to reel it in. "You kind of know what a fish is once you hook into it based on how it fights," Chance said. "It was moving pretty slow and I originally thought it could be a flathead."
At first, Chance had no idea it would be any sort of record at all. "The more it fought, I saw its tail and knew it was some type of carp," he said, adding that he initially thought it weighed 50 or 60 pounds.
George Chance's catch, a 97-pound bighead carp, beat the world record by 17 pounds. Image: Missouri Department of Conservation
Then, Chance took the fish to a nearby recycling center to use the scale and when he saw how big it was, he immediately contacted his local conservation agent.
"They told me it was a state record, and I said, 'You've got to be kidding me!'" he said. "Then later they said 'It's not just a state record, it's a world record!' and I said 'You've got to be kidding me!' I had no idea this would happen would I woke up that morning."
According to the department's website, the bighead carp are not native to Missouri waters — they're from Asia — therefore, officials encourage people to harvest them.
As for what Chance did with the fish, he said he used it as fertilizer. "I chopped up the fish and put it in my garden," Chance said. "I'm going to eat it in the form of tomatoes and cucumbers."
