New World Record At Lake Of The Ozarks! Angler Snags 164-POUND Paddlefish

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — On his very first time snagging, an Olathe, Kan. man reeled in a world-record paddlefish at Lake of the Ozarks last weekend.

Smith's Fishing Adventures took Chad Williams and some friends on a trip at the Lake where he caught the paddlefish on Sunday, March 17. Weighing in at 164 pounds, 13 ounces, this monster not only broke the previous Missouri record by over 20 lbs, it also edged out the world record by 13 oz, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. 

"I was lucky enough to get invited to go out snagging with friends," said Williams, who's from the city and doesn't fish often. "Never seen a paddlefish - didn't even know what it was!"

The trip started out a little slow, said Jason Smith, who guided the group. After about an hour however, they knew they hit something good. Williams found himself battling something massive. 

"I was thinking I was extremely weak because it was taking so long to reel in. My body was aching," Williams said.

Smith added, "He's a big guy. I was just like, 'You know, the only other time a big guy whimpered like that trying to reel in a fish it was over a 100 pounds.'"

After hauling the fish onto the boat, the group immediately recognized its record potential.

"As soon as that fish came to the side of the boat, and we actually seen how big it is, I was just in total awe," Smith said. "I've never seen a spoonbill even relatively close to the that size. Two of us could barely get that thing over the side, and at that point I already knew we had broke state records."

The group later headed to Three Brothers Meat Company in Montreal to meet a MDC Fisheries and Protection agent to weigh the paddlefish on a certified scale. 

"I'm honestly still processing this whole thing," Williams said. "Conservation Agent Tyler Brown was in disbelief it was my first time snagging. He said, 'You don't have to go out fishing ever again! Nothing can top this,' and he's probably right!"

Williams said he and his wife kept some of the paddlefish meat and shared the rest with their group. He also plans to taxidermy the head. 

"It's pretty amazing that he gets the glory of bringing in the fish and I get the glory of putting him on that fish. I had a buddy that said it best, 'Nobody in history has done that,' Smith said. "That's one of the whole reasons I do this. It's not just about having a job. I didn't do it for me, but it's for that right there, being able to do that for people."

Smith added that the day was successful for everyone. He said each person on the boat broke their personal best, so it wasn't just Williams who had an awesome trip. 

Missouri state record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, gig, bow, crossbow, underwater spearfishing, snagging, snaring, grabbing, or atlatl.

For more information on state record fish, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZCp.