Missouri Department of Conservation

Anglers catching this peculiar fish are urged to ‘kill it on sight’

A fisherman in Missouri caught what he thought was an odd fish that refused to die, even when left on the pavement for several hours.

The angler was fishing below Wappapello Lake Spillway in Wayne County on May 25 when he reeled in what turned out to be a northern snakehead, the fourth ever recorded in the state, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“The angler recognized they had something different and researched the fish’s characteristics, and realized it was indeed a snakehead,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Dave Knuth. “The angler left it on the pavement for several hours thinking it would die, and it never did.”

The northern snakehead, not native to the U.S., is a predatory fish with the head resembling a snake, hence the name. It can grow to up to 3-feet long, and has python-like coloration and pattern.

The snakehead was taken to the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office. Four hours later, MDC agent Jacob Plunkett recovered the bag with the fish at 11 p.m., the night of the catch.

“When I picked up the fish, it was still very much alive,” Plunkett said.

The Kansas City Star was very succinct in what fishermen should do if they catch a snakehead, stating “this fish is one you’re urged to kill on sight.”

“Unlike most fish, the northern snakehead can breathe air, which allows survival in poorly oxygenated water or out of water for several days if their skin stays moist,” the MDC stated. “They can also slither across land to return to water.

“Snakeheads are an invasive species native to Asia. They’re aggressive predators, preying on native species, and competing for resources.”

Which is why the MDC urges anglers to kill them immediately when catching them. But make sure it’s a snakehead, the agency stated, because it can be confused with a native bowfin.

The MDC has instructions for those catching a snakehead. It asks anglers to kill the snakehead by severing its head, gutting it or placing it in a sealed plastic bag; photograph the fish so the species can be positively identified; note the location of the catch; and report it to the Southeast Regional Office at (573) 290-5730.

“MDC reminds the public it is illegal to import, export, sell, purchase, or possess a live northern snakehead in Missouri,” the MDC stated. “MDC will continue to monitor its spread in the state.

“The first northern snakehead recorded in Missouri was caught in a borrow ditch within the St. Francis River levees in Dunklin County in 2019. MDC confirmed an additional two northern snakehead captures in 2023.”

Photos courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

‘Extremely lucky’ angler makes unexpected catch

Anthony Rozniak was fishing for catfish with his brother on the Missouri River earlier this month when he made a lucky catch.

Anthony Rozniak was fishing for catfish with his brother on the Missouri River earlier this month and caught the unexpected—a 3-pound skipjack herring.

Recognizing that it could be a Missouri record, the fishermen immediately went to the St. Louis Regional office of the Missouri Department of Conservation and had the fish weighed on a certified scale.

The 3-pound skipjack herring was approved as a state record, and it tied two other catches in the pole-and-line division, the first coming in 2017 and the second recorded in 2019, both coming from the Osage River.

“We threw some jigs out to see what was there and the first fish I hooked into was a 1½-pound skipjack,” Rozniak explained to the MDC.

“The very next cast was double that size. We had only been out fishing for 15 minutes by the time I caught it. I looked at my brother and said, ‘I hate to cancel our fishing trip, but we got a state record! We got to go!’”

It was Missouri’s fifth state-record fish recorded in 2023.

“It’s funny because about five months ago, I did look through the list of state records and said to my brother, if we did break one, it would be a skipjack,” he said. “I honestly never thought it would happen, but I feel extremely lucky.”

Bowfisherman shoots world-record fish, adds to ‘collection’

One day last month after work, Mitchell Dering of Missouri decided to go bowfishing and wound up adding to his “collection” of record fish.

One day last month after work, Mitchell Dering of Missouri decided to go bowfishing and wound up adding to his “collection” of record fish, this one a world record.

He was bowfishing at Duck Creek Ditch #105 on March 14 and “just got lucky, honestly,” Dering told the Missouri Department of Conservation. “We shoot a lot of smaller fish. I knew it was a bullhead, but didn’t know it was a brown bullhead. But I knew it was large for its size.”

He found out just how big the next day when he had MDC Southeast Regional Office staff weigh it on a certified scale in Wappapello. It weighed 4 pounds, and easily surpassed the state record of 2 pounds, 7 ounces caught from Wappapello Lake in 1994.

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But it also qualifies as a bowfishing world record, which currently stands at 3 pounds, 4 ounces for a brown bullhead.

“That’s honestly pretty awesome,” Dering told MDC. “I’ve bowfished for quite a while. We’ve won a few tournaments in Kentucky and Tennessee and placed in numerous other tournaments. That’s cool [qualifying for a world record], I didn’t know that.”

Dering briefly held the state record for spotted gar in 2019 before it was broken. He told MDC he’s now working on his collection of state records, and plans to get his bullhead mounted.

“I’ve never mounted anything before,” he said. “I broke the state record for spotted gar a few years ago, but some guy broke the record two years later so it’s not in the record books anymore. But I’m working on getting me a collection of state records. I guess potentially world records now!”

Angler catches a rare ‘24-carat’ golden crappie; ‘definitely a shock’

A woman fishing with family in a pond on her new property hooked into a bizarre-looking crappie that appears to be made of 24-carat gold.

A woman fishing with family in a pond on her new property in Missouri hooked into a bizarre-looking crappie that appears to be made of 24-carat gold.

Holly Hadden, who recently moved to Springfield, made the unusual catch Monday using a bobber and worm.

“I really didn’t know much about this pond. We were just fishing it to kind of see what was in it,” Haddan told The Kansas City Star.

“I was very surprised to pull this one in. It’s very vibrant. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It shines like gold when the sun hits it just right.”

Crappie are usually black or white, as seen in accompanying photos of white crappie and black crappie.

This one’s unique color was explained by the Missouri Department of Conservation on its Facebook page. It said, “This occurrence is known as xanthochromism – a genetic condition that causes unusually yellow or orange pigmentation in animals, similar to how albinism causes a lack of pigment. These phenomena are not restricted to fish, but can occur in a variety of animals.”

Commenters on the MDC Facebook page had plenty to say about the unique crappie. Among the comments:

“Is this like the Golden Ticket in Willie Wonka?”

“I’d take that straight to the pawn shop!”

“24 carat? Really, is this a thing?”

“That’s probably worth some money!”

Even Haddan commented, saying, “It was definitely a shock to reel it in.”

Haddan put the golden crappie in a koi pond with plans to return it to the fishing pond.

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“I like to eat fish,” she told the Star, “but I also don’t see the need to kill something when there’s no need for it.”

Especially when it appears to be made of gold.

Photos of black crappie and white crappie courtesy of Wikipedia Commons; photo of the golden crappie courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation.