New Arkansas State Record Massive 127 lbs. Paddlefish Caught

If your fish story gets bigger and bigger every time you tell it you might have some big competition. A new Arkansas State Record was made for the biggest fish last Saturday, June 15.

It all took place at Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. This lake is great for fishing bass, crappie and striper fishing. Now this lake is getting a reputation for fishing paddlefish too.

Mike Sheleeper of Garfield, Arkansas just got his name into the state record books for a doozy of a fish.  Saturday he caught a 127-pound, 6-ounce paddlefish. The previous state record was 118 pounds which was caught by James Johnson back in 2020.

According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,

Schleeper was trolling brooder minnows around 30 feet deep near Point 6 with his fishing partner Tom Mayberry when the catch took place.

It took a total of 45 minutes to reel the fish in. At first, the men thought it was a big striper but as they got closer to it they realized it was a paddlefish, a big paddlefish.

The record-breaking paddlefish was hooked in one of its fins while the men were trolling.

The AGFC says that snagged fish usually don't count toward state records in many states, but paddlefish are accepted because these fish don't bite lures. When they are caught, it is likely because they have been snagged.

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