JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Two Missouri men broke state fishing records at the same body of water in the southeastern portion of the state last month, and one of them set a world record.
Tyler Goodale of Doniphan, Missouri, and Mitchell Dering of Fairdealing, Missouri set separate records while fishing at Duck Creek.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, Dering made his world-record-setting shot on March 14. While bowfishing at Duck Creek Ditch No. 105, he snared a 4-pound bullhead catfish. His catch was more than a pound heavier than the previous state record set in 1994 and was large enough to set a new world record.
Dering, who briefly held a state record for the largest spotted gar in 2019, said he is adding this record to his collection.
“I broke the state record for spotted gar a few years ago, but some guy broke the record two years later so it’s not in the record books anymore," he said in an interview with the MDC. "But I’m working on getting me a collection of state records. I guess potentially world records now!”
Almost two weeks after Dering's record-setting catch, Goodale caught a pair of record-worthy fliers at Duck Creek Conservation Area on March 26. He made is catch using the pole-and-line method.
The MDC said Dering caught a pair of 11-ounce fliers, both of which would have been good enough for a state record. The previous record for a flier, which is in the sunfish family, was 10 ounces.
For more information about the MDC state fish records, click here.