An Oklahoma angler’s catch of a 157-pound paddlefish last Friday would have shattered the state record had it been caught on just about any other day.
Justin Hamlin landed the odd-looking behemoth while fishing on Keystone Lake with Capt. Jeremiah Mefford of Reel Good Time Guide Service.
The paddlefish tipped a boat scale at 157 pounds. But state regulations designed to protect the fishery require that all paddlefish caught on Fridays and Mondays must be released.
Hamlin, therefore, was not able to have his catch officially weighed or certified by a state biologist, and the state record still stands at 132 pounds, 8 ounces, for a 2018 catch on the Arkansas River.
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However, that does not diminish the experience for the captain or angler.
“I think my heart was close to beating out of my chest,” Mefford told For The Win Outdoors. “I’m an avid deer hunter and it was like seeing a dream buck come out right in front of you. The difference was this fish was landed and we did not have to talk about the one that got away.”
Mefford added: “Heartbroken not to have it official, but Justin had a great attitude about it, and appreciation for the laws.”
Paddlefish are plankton eaters so snagging is the most effective angling method. Oklahoma regulations allow anglers to keep one per day except on Mondays and Fridays, when all fish “must be released immediately.”
Anglers can only use barbless hooks, which allow for easy releases.
Mefford said Hamlin snagged his 5-foot-long paddlefish with a large treble hook attached to 80-pound-test line. The fight lasted about 10 minutes.
The Keystone Lake record for paddlefish stands at 125.6 pounds, Mefford said.
American paddlefish, closely related to sturgeon, are native to the Mississippi River Basin and fossil records date back millions of years.
–Photos showing Justin Hamlin with his record-size paddlefish and the Keystone Lake record paddlefish (bottom image) are courtesy of Reel Good Time Guide Service