VIDEO: Oklahoma man's 147-pound paddlefish believed to be a world record
Published in Weird News
(UPI) Wildlife officials in Oklahoma said an angler broke a state record -- and possibly a world record -- when he reeled in a paddlefish weighing nearly 147 pounds.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said James Lukehart of Edmond was fishing at Keystone Lake when he reeled in a monster paddlefish that tipped the scales at 146.7 pounds.
The agency said the fish was certified as a new state record, beating a 143-pound paddlefish caught by Jeremiah Mefford of Kiefer just over a month earlier. Officials said Mefford was actually Lukehart's fishing guide on Sunday and was present to see his client break his record.
State officials said the rod-and-reel world record for paddlefish is believed to be 144 pounds, a goal Lukehart's fish surpasses. The largest paddlefish on record weighed in at 198 pounds and was landed by an Iowa spearfisherman in 1916.
The ODWC said the Lukehart's paddlefish was released under the rules set by the agency after being officially weighed and measured.
Copyright 2020 by United Press International
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