Your #1 source for blades and firearms news and updates…

  • Home
  • Knives
  • News
  • Hunting
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Subscribe
Font ResizerAa
Blade ShopperBlade Shopper
  • News
  • Knives
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Tactical
  • Hunting
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • Knives
  • News
  • Hunting
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
banner
Create an Amazing Newspaper
Discover thousands of options, easy to customize layouts, one-click to import demo and much more.
Learn More

Stay Updated

Get the latest headlines, discounts for the military community, and guides to maximizing your benefits
Subscribe

Explore

  • Photo of The Day
  • Opinion
  • Today's Epaper
  • Trending News
  • Weekly Newsletter
  • Special Deals
Home » Missouri Man Catches World-Record Carp, Turns It into Fertilizer

Missouri Man Catches World-Record Carp, Turns It into Fertilizer

Adam Green By Adam Green March 25, 2024 4 Min Read
Share
Missouri Man Catches World-Record Carp, Turns It into Fertilizer

State officials encourage anglers to keep every bighead carp they catch, so George Chance chopped the fish up and put it in his garden

A Missouri angler with a bighead carp.

George Chance with the record-breaking carp that weighed 97 pounds. Photo via MDC

Last week a Missouri angler caught a massive bighead carp that’s been certified as a new state record and stands to break the current world record for the species. George Chance caught the carp while fishing from the shore of the Mississippi River south of St. Louis. Chance, who lives nearby in Festus, said he hooked the fish on a crankbait.

“You kind of know what a fish is once you hook into it based on how it fights,” Chance told the Missouri Department of Conservation, which announced the new state record on Friday. “It was moving pretty slow and I originally thought it could be a flathead.”

Chance explained that he eventually saw the fish’s forked tail and realized it was a carp. It wasn’t until he got it close to shore that he saw how big it was, and he had to get creative to land the fish on his own.

“I was able to hook him with a hay hook in order to get him out of the water,” Chance said. “It looked to be 50 or 60 pounds at least.”

The fisherman took the carp to a nearby recycling center to use the certified scales there. When he saw that it weighed 97 pounds, Chance called the MDC right away.

Read Next: Fisherman Tells Wife He’s Going Out to Catch a Record, Then Catches State-Record Perch

“They told me it was a state record, and I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ Then later they said, ‘It’s not just a state record, it’s a world record!’ and I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ I had no idea this would happen when I woke up that morning.”

Chance’s bighead carp record has been certified in the state’s “pole and line” category, and it tops the previous state record by 17 pounds. The MDC also recognizes state-record fish caught with “alternative methods” such as bows and trotlines, and the standing record in that category is a 125-pounder that was harvested with bowfishing gear in 2021.

As the MDC pointed out, Chance’s carp could also set a new all-tackle world record for the species. The current world record, according to the International Game Fish Association, weighed 90 pounds and was caught from Guntersville Lake in Tennessee in 2005.

Although anglers in other states have snagged heavier bigheads, the IGFA doesn’t recognize snagged fish in its record book. Which means that if Chance goes through the proper steps and sends in an application, his carp will likely be recognized as the new world record for the species.

Read Next: Can You Eat Carp?

Bighead carp are native to Asia but they’ve established themselves in the Mississippi River Basin, where they’re considered an invasive menace by fisheries managers. MDC has been trying to reign in their populations for years, and the agency encourages anglers to kill all the bighead carp they can catch.

Chance harvested his state-record carp, which he noted was full of eggs and would have likely spawned in the river this spring. Now, it’ll be used as fertilizer instead.

“I chopped up the fish and put it in my garden,” Chance said. “I’m going to eat it in the form of tomatoes and cucumbers.

Read the full article here

Share This Article
Facebook X Copy Link Print
Previous Article First Look: Safariland 6000 Series Holster for the Walther PDP First Look: Safariland 6000 Series Holster for the Walther PDP
Next Article This Milwaukee Sawzall Is the Fastest Cutting—And It’s 50% Off Right Now This Milwaukee Sawzall Is the Fastest Cutting—And It’s 50% Off Right Now
Leave a Comment Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Wake up with our popular morning roundup of the day's top blades, firearms and survavial news and updates.

The WHO Got Their New “Pandemic Treaty” Just In Time For The Great Pestilences That Are Rapidly Approaching

May 25, 2025

Griffin Lake Earns First Medal for Team USA at 2025 ISSF Suhl Junior World Cup

May 25, 2025

First Look: JK Armamant 20 Gauge Suppressor

May 25, 2025

CMP ANNOUNCES THREE LIMITED-ENTRY, IN-PERSON 1911 PISTOL SALES EVENTS

May 25, 2025

Bear Hunting with My 7-Year-Old Daughter Has Taught Us Both Some Important Lessons

May 25, 2025

You Might Also Like

PACT Outdoors Launches New Pack Out Bathroom Kit Designed to Make Packing Out Human Waste More Approachable to Outdoor Enthusiasts

PACT Outdoors Launches New Pack Out Bathroom Kit Designed to Make Packing Out Human Waste More Approachable to Outdoor Enthusiasts

Hunting
NWTF Volunteers Commend Adoption of Regulation Change

NWTF Volunteers Commend Adoption of Regulation Change

Hunting
Multi-Layer Composite Heat Release Barrel Technology from Avient Accelerates Heat Transfer for Improved Shooting Performance

Multi-Layer Composite Heat Release Barrel Technology from Avient Accelerates Heat Transfer for Improved Shooting Performance

Hunting
Man Wrestling Wild Turkey in New Hampshire Cemetery

Man Wrestling Wild Turkey in New Hampshire Cemetery

Hunting

2025 © Blade Shopper. All rights reserved.

Helpful Links

  • News
  • Knives
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Tactical
  • Hunting
  • Videos

Resources

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Press Release
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Popuplar

The WHO Got Their New “Pandemic Treaty” Just In Time For The Great Pestilences That Are Rapidly Approaching
Everything You Need to Know About Joining the Air Force
Bournemouth Air Festival: The UK’s Largest Air Festival
We provide daily defense news, benefits information, veteran employment resources, spouse and family resources.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?