A Missouri bow fisherman has shattered the state record with the recent catch of a 125-pound, 5-ounce bighead carp at Lake Perry.

Matt Neuling and a friend shot the fish simultaneously on the morning of July 24, initially thinking it was a much smaller grass carp. But only Neuling’s arrow stuck.

When they saw more of the fish they realized that it was a colossal bighead carp, an invasive species in Missouri.

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“We just couldn’t believe it,” Neuling told the Missouri Department of Conservation. “We knew what type of fish it was, but we had never seen one that size.

“This thing is a straight-up monster. A five-gallon bucket could easily fit in its mouth. If my buddy wasn’t with me, there was no way I could have pulled it out of the water.”

The previous Missouri record bighead carp caught via alternative methods weighed 104 pounds, 15 ounces. (Alternative methods include archery, throw lines, snagging, spearfishing, and other types of fishing that do not involve a rod and reel.)

Neuling’s carp is also a potential world record. The Bowfishing Assn. of America lists as the current record a 104-pound, 2.4-ounce bighead carp, landed last year in West Virginia.

For the sake of comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists as the all-tackle world record a 90-pound bighead catfish caught at Guntersville Lake in Tennessee in 2005. (The IGFA only recognizes fish caught via rod and reel.)

The MDC explained in a news release that carp of this size are at least 10 years old. Bighead carp are native to southern and central China but have gained a foothold in portions of the United States.

“This particular fish is an example of just how well an invasive species can thrive if given the opportunity,” said Andrew Branson, an MDC biologist. “We encourage people to harvest these fish to help remove them from our waters.”

The MDC collected the head of Neuling’s carp for study, and said Neuling used other parts of the fish as catfish bait.

–Image courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation