A Kansas man fishing at the Lake of the Ozarks this past weekend left the excursion with a big catch that netted him a world record.
“I was lucky enough to get invited to go out snagging with friends,” Chad Williams, of Olathe, said in a Missouri Department of Conservation news release. “I’d never been snagging before. Never seen a paddlefish – didn’t even know what it was!”
Snagging season started March 15 and lasts until April 30 in Missouri. Williams’ lucky catch–all 164 pounds and 13 ounces of it–came Sunday. The former state record was 140 pounds and the previous world mark was 164 pounds.
Williams said his body was aching because of how long it took to reel in the fish.
The catch was certified by Missouri Department of Conservation staff at a meat company in Montreal, Mo.
Williams split the meat with his fishing group and will send the head to a taxidermist.
You can see Williams’ place among other state records online at the Missouri Department of Conservation.
