JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Frank Reynolds carefully hunted a tank of a fish for decades in a private pond in Linn, Missouri. Now, he's the proud winner of a Missouri state record after a successful hunt on Aug. 12.
Armed with a bow and arrow, Reynolds knew the grass carp was a prize ever since 2002 when he saw it among the four fish they stocked the lake with, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
“I’ve been trying to get this thing for years now,” Reynolds told the department. “We had four of these fish stocked in 2002 so I’ve been on the hunt for this one for a while, but it’s just been so skittish. It’s hard to get close enough without him getting away or going underwater.”
He got his first-ever clean shot at the fish on Aug. 11, but the arrow ended up pulling out of the fish and it took off across the pond. Luckily, he got a second chance the next day.
“I was able to shoot it and wound up getting him in,” he recalled. “I didn’t have a scale that went that big – mine only went up to 50 pounds and I knew right off the bat he was way over that.”
After getting an appropriately large scale, the grass carp catch weighed in at a whopping 74 pounds and 2 ounces. Missouri's previous alternative methods grass carp fishing record was a 71-pound, 4-ounce carp caught from Lake Showme in 1999.
Reynolds plans to get a replica of the fish mounted to immortalize his achievement.
“I had no idea it was going to be a state record,” Reynolds laughed. “So, I’m shocked! People are congratulating me, and it seems to be a hot topic these days.”
Want to pursue a state fishing record yourself? Click here to learn more about Missouri's state record fish.
