On Sunday, March 17, 2024, Chad Williams of Olathe, Kansas, achieved an extraordinary feat by snagging a record-breaking paddlefish at the Lake of the Ozarks. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the paddlefish weighed in at 164 pounds and 13 ounces.
Chad Williams with his record-breaking paddlefish. (Photo - Missouri Department of Conservation)
This catch not only surpasses the previous Missouri state record of 140 pounds, 10 ounces, caught in 2022 by Jim Dain, but also edges out the previous world record of 164 pounds, caught in Oklahoma’s Keystone Lake in 2021.
An Unexpected Adventure
“I was lucky enough to get invited to go out snagging with friends,” Williams said in a press release issued by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). He added, “I’d never been snagging before. Never seen a paddlefish - didn’t even know what it was!”
Shortly into the snagging trip, Williams hooked into something massive. Williams was on a boat with friends when he hooked into the pre-historic lunker.
Read also: The Life of Chad Everett Harris
Williams said that while reeling the paddlefish in, he thought he was weak and did not expect the fish to be so large. “I was thinking I was extremely weak because it was taking so long to reel in. My body was aching,” he said.
The Moment of Discovery
Once the fish was reeled in, the group of friends said they immediately “knew it was a record.” After an exhausting fight, he took the fish to a local meat market where it was weighed on a certified scale.
When Williams and crew met with MDC Fisheries and Protection staff at Three Brothers Meat Company in Montreal, Missouri, the biologists were blown away by his catch. “Conservation Agent Tyler Brown was in disbelief,” Williams recalled. “He said, ‘You don’t have to go out fishing ever again! Nothing can top this!’ and he’s probably right!”
Paddlefish Facts
Early ancestors of today’s American paddlefish inhabited earth around the time of the dinosaurs, and the species has changed very little since then. Like sharks, they’re covered in cartilaginous skin. A large paddle-shaped rostrum makes up about 1/3 of the fish’s total body length.
The paddlefish’s preference for plankton makes it hard to catch with traditional tackle, so anglers locate them with fish finders and snag the behemoths with large treble hooks as they filter feed near the bottom.
Read also: "Married to Evil": Chad Graves
Sharing the Spoils
Williams said he and his wife kept some of the paddlefish meat and shared the rest with their fishing group. Williams told the MDC that he kept some of the meat to eat and shared the rest with his fellow anglers.
After having the fish officially weighed by the MDC Fisheries and Protection staff, Williams had the fish processed and shared some of its meat with the fishing group but saved the head to be taxidermied.
A Memorable Experience
“I’m honestly still processing this whole thing,” said Williams. The Missouri Department of Conservation said Chad Williams snagged a 164-pound, 13-ounce paddlefish at the Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday, March 17.
According to MDC, Williams’ catch is the second state-record fish of 2024. The first record of the year was 12-ounce yellow perch caught by Jeffrey Needles of Jackson County, Missouri. Williams’ paddlefish is the biggest ever caught in the Show-Me State by long shot.
Missouri’s paddlefish season just opened a few days ago, and an angler from Kansas has already broken the state and world record for the unique species.
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
How To Snag and Release Paddlefish
Popular articles:
tags: #Chad
