Virginia State Record Blue Catfish (Archery)

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources recently announced that the Virginia state record for archery blue catfish has been broken.

Jason Emmel from Louisa arrowed a 66-pound, 5-ounce blue catfish from the Pamunkey River for the new state record.

The fish measured 3 feet, 6 inches and had a girth of 35 inches. After biologist verification and review by the State Record Committee, Emmel’s catch was certified and is recognized as the current Virginia Archery State Record Blue Catfish.

The previous record was held by William Bates, Jr. with a 62-pound, 4-ounce blue catfish captured in 2021 from Occoquan Bay in Fairfax.

In Virginia, bowfishing is one of several forms of alternative fishing methods that are increasing in popularity.

North Dakota State Record Buffalo (Bowfishing)

Buffalo Fish | credit: USFWS

In May 2022, a bow fisherman from Bismarck set a new North Dakota bow/spear state record for bigmouth buffalo.

Mitch Estabrook took a 60-pound, 8 ounce buffalo by bow from Heart Butte Reservoir.

Estabrook's fish broke the previous record by 3 pounds, taken at Heart Butte Reservoir in 2017.

Buffalo are a native fish sometimes confused with nonnative and invasive common carp.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department records indicate that Estabrook’s fish is the largest weighed in the state that was not a paddlefish or pallid sturgeon.

Buffalo fish are identified by their heavyset bodies, large scales, and blue-green to bronze coloration.

They have relatively large, forward-opening mouth for a member of the sucker family.

Bigmouth buffalo are the largest member of the sucker family.

Buffalo are commonly mistaken for, but not related to common carp.

The species is not commonly caught by anglers, but are a primary target for those who bow fish.

Recent studies have shown bigmouth buffalo can live to very old ages, with some fish over 100 years old recently documented in neighboring Minnesota.

source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department

Carp Fishing in North America

Maryland State Record Carp (Chesapeake Bay)

Once considered a non-game fish in North America, the common carp is gaining popularity as a freshwater sportfish.

Bait fishing, fly fishing, and bowfishing are popular techniques for taking carp. In some locations, carp are caught by chumming an area close to shore and still-fishing in the middle of chummed area.

To meet the demand for information, a wide range of carp-specific fishing magazines, clubs, television shows, and internet forums have taken hold throughout the U.S. and Canada as more anglers become active in carp fishing.

How big do common carp get in North America? State records for common carp provide clues about trophy-class carp weights and lengths. Across the USA, state records continue to be broken as the popularity of carp fishing grows.

State Record Highlights

Idaho

In May 2021, an Idaho angler shattered the state rod-and-reel carp record Monday with the catch of a 34-pound common carp on the Snake River. The Idaho archery record for common carp stands at 67.65 pounds, taken in C.J. Strike Reservoir in 2011.

Maryland

In May 2022, Logan Kuhrmann of Essex set a new Maryland state record common carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) in the state’s Chesapeake Division. Kuhrmann, 24, caught the 49-pound carp while bass fishing in the Susquehanna Flats area of the Chesapeake Bay.

Massachusetts

In April 2012, the Massachusetts state record for carp was broken by Shane Felch of Shrewsbury, with a 46 pounds, 5 ounce mirror carp, taken by crossbow from Lake Quinsigamond. According to local anglers, mirror carp are the most common variety caught from the Lake.

New Jersey

While bowfishing on the night of May 19, 2014, Adam Faatz of Hawthorne, NJ, broke the New Jersey state record for common carp with a 45 lb. 6 oz. specimen. The massive carp was 42" long and had a girth of 32".

New Hampshire

In 2016, Donald St. Lawrence set a new hook-and-line New Hampshire state record for common carp. Tipping the scales at 35 lbs 13.12 oz "Carpzilla" bested the current rod and reel-caught carp record by almost 3 lbs. The record setting carp was caught in Merrimack River near Manchester.

Ohio

On June 9, 2013, bowfisherman Patrick Johnson of Toledo, Ohio, took a new state record carp in the Sandusky County portion of Lake Erie's waters. The massive carp weighed 53.65 pounds, measured 45 inches in length and 32-1/4 inches in girth.

Pennsylvania

Despite increased participation in American carp fishing, a few state records have withstood the test of time. The Pennsylvania state record for common carp stands at 52 pounds, caught in the Juniata River in 1962.

West Virginia

In 2022, Ayden Minick caught and released a new West Virginia state record common carp while fishing from the bank of Summersville Lake in Nicholas County. The record-setting carp  weighed 45.2 pounds and was 41.2 inches long. 

Wisconsin

In 2012, bowfisherman Zack Seitz reeled in a 59-pound common carp measuring 46 inches long with a 32.5 inch girth, breaking the Wisconsin state alternate method record.

Vermont

In May, 2014, a bowfisherman set a new Vermont state record for carp with a 44-pound 6-ounce fish taken from Lake Champlain. The massive carp was taken while bowfishing in a backwater area of southern Lake Champlain. The previous state record carp, also taken by bowfishing, weighed 42-pounds 8-ounces.

World Record Carp

In addition to fish caught in the USA, monster-sized carp are caught around the world. While vacationing in Thailand in 2013, a British tourist landed a 134-pound carp, believed to be the biggest ever caught. The massive fish weighed 134 pounds 7 ounces, which could set a new world record.