Keystone Lake – Syndication Server

Paddlefish world record shattered with catch of 164-pound ‘beast’

An Oklahoma angler set a state and apparent world record after snagging and landing a 164-pound paddlefish Tuesday at Keystone Lake.

An Oklahoma angler established a state and world record Tuesday by landing a 164-pound paddlefish at Keystone Lake.

Grant Rader (pictured at left in both images) snagged the massive prehistoric-looking fish on his 18th birthday, during a trip with Jeremiah Mefford of Reel Good Time Guide Service.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation broke the news Wednesday via Facebook, writing, “We have a new WORLD- and state-record paddlefish that was snagged at Keystone Lake on June 22. The beast weighed 164 pounds! Congrats to Grant Rader of Wichita, Kan., on his great catch!”

Grant Rader (left) poses with record paddlefish. Guide Jeremiah Mefford is pictured at center

It’s worth noting that the International Game Fish Assn., which recognizes fishing records that do not involve snagging as a method of capture, does not include paddlefish on its list of world records.

Mefford, a previous state record holder for his catch of a 143-pound paddlefish at Keystone Lake in June 2020, told For The Win Outdoors that Rader’s catch breaks the world mark of 151.9 pounds. That also was a Keystone Lake catch.

Paddlefish, among the largest and longest-lived freshwater fish in North America, eat plankton so snagging is the most effective angling method.

Although the species dates back 125 million years, paddlefish are fragile and need to swim constantly. Fishing regulations are strict in states where paddlefish exist. (Their native range includes the Mississippi River basin from New York to Montana and south to the Gulf of Mexico.)

In Oklahoma, anglers can only use barbless hooks, which allow for easy releases, and can harvest only two paddlefish per year.

–Paddlefish images are courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Wife is ‘real’ angler, but husband lands record paddlefish

An Oklahoma man who said his wife is the “real fisherwoman” set a state record Sunday by landing a 146-pound, 11-ounce paddlefish.

An Oklahoma man who said his wife is the “real fisherwoman” of the family set a state record Sunday by landing a 146-pound, 11-ounce paddlefish.

James Lukehart’s catch also eclipsed the unofficial rod-and-reel world record – a 144-pound paddlefish pulled from a Kansas pond in 2018 – by nearly three pounds.

(Paddlefish, which eat plankton, are caught with snagging techniques and world records are kept mostly by scientists.)

Lukehart was fishing with his wife, Caitlin, on Keystone Lake, site of several recent impressive paddlefish catches. In fact, the Lukeharts’ guide, Jeremiah Mefford, held the previous state record.

Mefford, who runs Reel Good Time Guide Service, told For The Win Outdoors that watching Lukehart beat the record he set in May “was the best feeling ever,” and added: “I would watch it 100 times again.”

Both paddlefish were carefully released with the assistance of a state biologist. (Paddlefish are fragile and regulations are strict. Anglers must use barbless hooks and can harvest only two paddlefish per year.)

Lukehart, who is from Edmond, told The Oklahoman that he likes to hunt and that his wife is the “real fisherwoman.” The couple had hoped merely to catch a paddlefish they could cook in the smoker.

Caitlin caught an 82-pound paddlefish that “we thought was enormous,” Lukehart said. He later hooked the true giant, measuring 70.5 inches and boasting a 45-inch girth.

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“We got out there in the morning and kind of joked around about catching a state record,” Lukehart recalled. “I had no idea that there was even a world-record fish out there. And let alone did I know I was fishing with the guy who had the state record. Until I caught it, I had no idea.”

The fish made several long runs before it could be handled safely alongside the boat.

According to the Tulsa World, Lukehart waded with the paddlefish to keep water moving through its gills until Jason Schooley, senior fisheries biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, arrived to collect a weight and measurements.

Schooley stayed with the fish until he felt it could swim off on its own. The swimming pattern was then monitored from the boat via sonar equipment, and the fish seemed to be OK.

–Images showing James Lukehart and his record paddlefish are courtesy of Reel Good Time Guide Service

Angler picks wrong day to land record-size paddlefish

An Oklahoma angler’s recent catch of a giant paddlefish would have shattered the state record had it been caught on a different day.

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.

Justin Hamlin with 157-pound paddlefish. Photo: Reel Good Time Guide Service

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.

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.”

Justin Hamlin wrestles with catch before it’s released. Photo: Reel Good Time Guide Service

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.

Keystone Lake-record paddlefish stands at 125.6 pounds. Photo: Reel Good Time Guide Service

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