Missouri Bowfisherman Shoots State Record Carpsucker
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.25.15
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced earlier this month that Jonathan Randall of Smithville is the new state archery record holder for river carpsucker.
According to the MDC, Randall shot a nine-pound, 10-ounce fish at Smithville Lake in early May, around the same time that the Oklahoma carpsucker record was also broken. The fish was measured at 24 and 3/4 inches long.
“MDC staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale at Price Chopper in Smithville,” stated a press release. “Randall broke the previous alternative-method state-record river carpsucker of 7 pounds, 12 ounces taken on Lake of the Ozarks in late April.”
River carpsuckers are relatively common in Missouri and prefer deep, silt-bottomed pools or backwaters. It is by far the most common carpsucker in the state, although the fish is not highly valued as a food fish. They are popular with bowfisherman, however.
On May 10, Josh Brooks broke the Oklahoma record with a fish remarkably similar to Randall’s, weighing slightly less at nine pounds and 6.4 ounces. Brooks’ fish was 25 and 3/4 inches long.
River carpsuckers can be identified by their deep silver coloration and crescent-shaped tail. The species also has a nipple-like protrusion on the middle of its bottom lip. According to the International Game Fish Association, the current rod-and-reel world record for river carpsucker belongs to W. Kenyon, who caught a seven-pound, 11-ounce fish in a unidentified Oklahoma pond in 1990.
