Officials thank Oklahoma angler after catching 118-pound invasive carp

[Alchase]

There's no argument that fisherman Bryan Baker answered the call from Oklahoma wildlife officials.

He was one of the many skilled anglers that the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation sought out to help capture invasive bighead carp from Grand Lake.

"We've gotten a great response so far, and many people have allowed us to study their catch," the agency said.

Baker, with Spoonbill Wreckers, reeled in Oklahoma's first bighead carp state record at a massive 118 pounds and 3 ounces.

Oklahoma's wildlife officials say bighead carp consume large quantities of zooplankton and aquatic insects.

"Because of their feeding habits, bighead carp are a direct competitor with our native species like paddlefish and bigmouth buffalo, as well as all larval and juvenile fishes and native mussels," the agency said.

If you happen to catch this invasive species, anglers have been warned not to return it to the water but report it to wildlife officials.

https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/oklahoma-fisherman-grand-lake-invasive-bighead-carp?cmpid=hp1r_foxweather_obtest&dicbo=v4-SMuCfJj-1081348180


This one looks like he has a 15 pound down rigger ball in it's gut.

[Bullkllr]

That thing looks like it's on the same meal plan as the morbidly obese lake trout.

[millerwheeler]

Holy sh@T

[hunter399]

Does that thing eat ducks and turtles and sea gulls or what.

[Katmai Guy]

Does that thing eat ducks and turtles and sea gulls or what.

Bugs, how does something get that big eating bugs?  It must be a hundred yrs old.

[huntnphool]

Does that thing eat ducks and turtles and sea gulls or what.

Bugs, how does something get that big eating bugs?  It must be a hundred yrs old.

+1

[Alchase]

The wife and I go down to Medicine Park, a small tourist town in SW Oklahoma a couple times a year. We were eating lunch on the patio of a restaurant that looks over Medicine Creek. I had heard Medicine Creek was a good trout fishery (rare in Oklahoma). I noticed there were a ton of  huge fish finning on top of the water. I could not tell what they were from where I was sitting, so I asked the restaurant owner. He said they were Big Head Carp, thousands of them!
Wife and I walked down to the water and walked over a pedestrian bridge to get a look. From bank to bank there was nothing but 30+ pound Big Head Carp 
I had never seen one carp any where near that size, and here the whole friggin river or creek was completely full of them. I asked does anyone fish them? He said a couple of Vietnamese men come down occasionally and take a few. But he does not know if they eat them or not. He said he use to take a couple home for his garden, but the were so big he only needed one or two. He stopped because the neighborhood cats and dogs would dig up his gardens, 
They are an invasive species, I am surprised the State Fish and Game Department has not netted them out of there.