John Garver of Williamsville, Mo., is pictured with his alternative-methods (bow) state-record spotted sucker. (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)
June 01, 2020
By Game & Fish Staff
Another bowfishing record has been broken in Missouri, the state’s fourth alternative-methods record of 2020.
The Missouri Department of Conservation certified John Garver’s 3-pound, 6-ounce spotted sucker as a state fishing record; the old record (snagged in 1992) was just 2-1. Garver shot the record at Duck Creek Conservation Area on May 1, while on a bowfishing outing with friends and family.
The fish, which was weighed on a certified scale in Wayne County, is the seventh state-record fish caught in Missouri in 2020. Four of those records are in the alternative-methods category, including throwlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery and atlatl
"I was out with some friends and family bowfishing when I just happened across it," Garver said, according to a news release. "I got to looking at it and thought it might be a state record. So, I took it home and later called my conservation agent."
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