Holy Carp! Oklahoma Angler Reels in Huge ‘Nuisance’ Bighead Weighing 118 Pounds for State Record

(Courtesy of The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation)

A call to anglers for help controlling a nuisance bighead carp population led to one experienced fishing guide’s reeling in a state record fish, with a hefty specimen weighing in at 118 pounds, 3 ounces.

Answering the invitation made by Oklahoma state authorities was Bryan Baker, a fishing guide for Spoonbill Wreckers. His huge fish was caught from Grand Lake o' the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma, in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, in May.

“We’ve asked skilled anglers to help capture invasive bighead carp from Grand Lake, and Oklahoma anglers have answered the call!” Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) posted on Facebook on May 12, crediting Baker for “reeling in our first bighead carp state record.” In the comments section below they added, “We believe this one was snagged!”

Bryan Baker with his bighead carp catch (Courtesy of The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation).

Spoonbill Wreckers shared a few extra facts in the comments section, telling ODWC that the big fish had “32 pounds total gonad weight” and roughly 8 to 11 million eggs inside its huge, distended belly. Comments from wowed netizens included, “Thanks for removing it!” and, “He’s been in Grand a long long long long time.”

Bighead carp are native to eastern Asia. The dark gray, deep-bodied fish has a big head and a large, toothless mouth with protruding lower jaw, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They can grow up to almost 5 feet in length and routinely reach 40 pounds in weight, although there are several bighead carp on record weighing over 100 pounds.

(Public Domain)

The species was first introduced to the United States in 1973 to improve water quality and increase fish production in aquaculture ponds. In 2011, it was listed as an “injurious species” under the federal Lacey Act, and some states began employing commercial fishing to reduce numbers.

Bighead carp are considered a nuisance species for their feeding habits—they consume large quantities of zooplankton and aquatic insect larvae and adults—making them compete for resources with native species such as paddlefish, bigmouth buffalo, mussels, and “all larval and juvenile fishes,” according to ODWC, who advise anglers who catch them: “Do not return it to the water.”

(Illustration - Katoshaa/Shutterstock)

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