The Missouri Department of Conservation reports Jason Reynolds of Warsaw, Mo. became the most recent Missouri state record holder for fish when he caught a walleye on a jug line on Truman Lake.
The new "alternative method" record fish caught by Reynolds on Nov. 5 weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Reynolds' recent catch broke the previous state record by 1 pound, 1 ounce.
"I first thought I caught a carp, but when I got the fish in the boat I realized I had caught a walleye," Reynolds said. "I was in shock that I caught a big walleye."
Reynolds used a bluegill for bait and was trying to catch catfish when he caught the walleye. He said he didn't know the walleye was a state record until he checked the department's website when he got back to Osage Bluff Marine.
"After I weighed my walleye and saw that I beat the record, I was super excited. It's just so hard to believe I now hold two state records," he said.
Reynolds also currently holds the spotted bass alternative method state record for a fish taken by jug line.
"Lighting does strike twice in the same place," he said. "I caught the walleye about hundred yards away from where I caught the spotted bass. It's really unbelievable."
Department staff verified the walleye's weight on a certified scale at Lost Valley Hatchery in Warsaw. This is the seventh state-record fish of 2018.
Sports on 12/04/2018