The Missouri Department of Conservation reports an angler from Dixon, Mo. not only hooked a state record but possibly a world record.
Maverick Yoakum, 11, caught a river redhorse on Tavern Creek using a rod and reel. The new “pole and line” record river redhorse weighed 10-pounds, 3-ounces. The new record breaks the previous state-record and world record pole-and-line river redhorse of 9-pound, 13-ounces caught at Tavern Creek in 2016. Yoakum was using worms when he caught the fish.
“I fought the fish for about two to three minutes before I got it to the bank,” Yoakum said. “I thought I caught a pretty big fish, but I didn’t know it was a state record until my dad told me to look it up online. I’m super excited to hold a state record!”
River redhorse fish are part of the sucker family. They are a moderately chubby, coarse-scaled fish with a dorsal fin containing 12 or 13 rays. These fish can be found mostly throughout the Ozarks.
Yoakum’s fish also beats the current world record, pending verification by the International Game Fish Association (IFGA). While the river redhorse does get much larger, IFGA only recognizes fish taken by pole and line.
“Larger river redhorses are usually taken by gigging and do not qualify for the IGFA world record,” said MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson. “Conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish and this new unique record clearly shows why. This fish could possibly be the largest river redhorse ever taken with a pole and line.”
Yoakum said it’s hard to believe he may be a world-record holder.
“I just can’t believe it! I have never thought about holding a record, and now I may be a world-record holder. I can’t believe it!” he said. “I want to thank my dad for always taking me fishing, because if it wasn’t for him taking me fishing I wouldn’t have caught a fish like I did.”
Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery and atlatl.
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