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The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission shared the news of an impressive, near-record catch made by fisherman Robert Murphy earlier this month. The kayak angler was going for walleye when he hooked into a monster 102-pound paddlefish.
Murphy was angling on the Upper White River, near Goshen, AR, when he accidentally snagged the fish. The fight took the kayak angler an hour before he landed the paddlefish. Impressive as the catch was, Murphy’s paddlefish was still shy of the state record, which remains at 118 pounds and 9 ounces.
According to Arkansas Game and Fish, paddlefish in Beaver Lake will congregate at the southern end of the lake in spring, on the upper White River where Murphy made the catch. The paddlefish move to this area to spawn over gravel and sandbars.
Paddlefish, also called spoonbills, are one of the oldest fish on record. Fossils date back over 130 million years. They are filter feeders, and swim with their mouths open, using their gill rakers to sort out plankton. So no need to work on your lure presentation. Kayak anglers looking to best Murphy’s catch will need to hook a paddlefish using a snag technique.