It’s a great time to be in Missouri this summer if you love to fish. The state is seeing a huge number of record-breakers this year. The latest angler to break a record reeled an epic American eel.
Carlin Allison decided to go fishing for catfish in the wee hours of the morning on the Current River. At about 3 a.m. that July 26 morning, the angler felt something heavy snag his line. Allison said he almost cut it loose because he was attempting he get a decent catfish.
Instead, the fisherman pulled out a 6-pound, 15-ounce eel breaking the state’s record set back in 1993. The almost 30-year gap proved to be worth it as Allison broke the record by a good two pounds.
“My buddy and I were out at about 3 that morning, so it was dark outside and I couldn’t see that well, but it put up one heck of a fight,” Allison told the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Allison almost threw the monster back, but he’s sure glad he decided against it.
“I didn’t know what to do with it, but my buddy stopped me and said, ‘Hey, that’s a big eel, hold on!’ Sure enough, we looked it up online and it was obvious it was bigger than what was listed.”
Other Missouri Record-Breakers
In another record this summer, a young angler caught a sunfish with a story that could be a movie.
Thirteen-year-old Robert Audrain IV beat his father’s, Robert Audrain III, record when he caught a 5-ounce sunfish while fishing in a private pond. The young fisherman was super excited to beat his father’s record.
“We were at the lake fishing all day and having fun,” Audrain IV tells News-Leader. “I was using my handline and after about five minutes of trying I pulled out the fish.”
“I’m really proud of myself and pretty competitive so it’s cool I beat my dad’s record,” the young man adds.
While the younger Audrain’s sunfish was barely an ounce bigger than his father’s, the record was still something to boast about.
“We were actually joking that it would be funny if we had a new record on the wall each year that is an ounce bigger,” the 13-year-old adds. “I think we’re definitely going to keep trying to break our records.”
Even more fun, the angler caught the sunfish on exactly the same date as his father, just one year apart.
The story is truly one for the books in a summer full of record-breaking fish. There must be something in the water in Missouri as the catches keep on coming.
