Fishing News
Monster paddlefish sets state record
By Arleasha Mays
KIMBERLING CITY, Mo.---Some anglers fish a lifetime and never catch a record fish. Then there are anglers like Wayne Russell of De Soto who, on his first paddlefishing trip, snagged the largest spoonbill ever taken from Missouri waters.
On the second day of season, March 16, the 56-year old retiree hauled in a 139-pound, 4-ounce paddlefish from Table Rock Lake. The fish measured 57.5 inches from the eye to the fork of the tail and was 42.5 inches in girth. The previous record, a paddlefish weighing 134 pounds, 12- ounces, came from the Lake of the Ozarks in 1998.
Russell fought a tough half-hour long battle to bring in the behemoth. He says the battle left him a little sore, but very happy.
"When I hooked it I thought I was hung up on a log," said Russell. "Then it turned the boat and headed off. After that it was like a tug-of-war where I tried to pull him in and he tried to pull away."
Russell finally got the fish close enough to use a gaff hook and tie it to the boat. "I couldn't have caught the fish without the help of my two brothers-in-law," said Russell. "Jim Skiles introduced me to the sport and Paul Pruitt kept the boat straight in the water so I wouldn't lose the fish."
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