OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Setting a record is great, but breaking your own record may be even sweeter. That’s what one angler in Oklahoma achieved over the weekend.
The record-breaking catch, an invasive bighead carp weighing over 118 pounds, was reeled in by Bryan Baker on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC).
The agency shared a photo of Baker’s latest catch on social media with a notable nugget of trivia: This isn’t Baker’s first record-setting catch.
In 2023, Baker set the state record for a bighead carp catch. That one also weighed 118 pounds, just 10 ounces lighter than the carp he snagged Saturday.
Despite breaking his own record, Baker’s latest bighead carp is still a few pounds shy of the world record. A carp caught in Missouri four years ago, weighing in at 125 pounds, 5 ounces, currently holds that title.
Bighead carp are invasive, disrupting ecosystems by competing with native fish for food and habitat, says ODWC officials.
The carp is native to eastern Asia, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While the fish is usually around 40 pounds, they have been known to exceed 100 pounds and measure nearly 5 feet in length.
Originally brought to the U.S. to help keep retention ponds at aquaculture and wastewater treatment facilities clean and for human consumption, the bighead carp soon found themselves on the lam in riverways.
They have since established populations in Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The FWS said the invasive fish have also been reported or stocked in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
It is illegal to import or transport the carp, eggs, or hybrids of the species across state lines without proper permitting.
Officials say if you catch a bighead carp, do not return it to the water.
