7-pound fish freed in 1997 caught weighing record 151 pounds, Oklahoma officials say

A 7-pound paddlefish caught and released in 1997 has turned up again in an Oklahoma lake — and it apparently spent the past 23 years eating.

The fish weighed 151.9 pounds when hooked a second time in Keystone Lake, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reported in a Thursday Facebook post.

That’s a world record, the department added.

When freed in 1997, the fish was two feet long. It had grown to 6 feet when angler Cory Watters recently tugged it out of the water with the help of fishing guide Jeremiah Mefford of Reel Good Time Guide Service.

“A fresh water whale!” the guide service said in a Facebook post.

The state’s fisheries department learned of the fish’s history after finding an identification band attached to its lower jaw.

“But the band wasn’t from ODWC,” the department said. “After a phone call, staff learned the fish was banded by Oklahoma State University researchers Jan. 4, 1997, in the Salt Creek area of Keystone Lake.”

Watters’ world record catch — which was set free — counted as the second time he set state and world records by catching an over sized paddlefish, the state said.

Reel Good Time Guide Service said Watters and his 9-year-old son Stetson “had several good fights” while reeling in nine “normal” fish on the same day, ranging from 70 to 98 pounds.

“One of the best parts of this experience is that we took extra care of the fish and total time out of water was probably around three minutes from start to finish,” the guide service posted. “She (the world record fish) swam off strong and there was no doubt she will only continue to grow.”

Oklahoma wildlife officials refer to paddlefish as a “prehistoric fish” that lives up to 50 years in the state’s rivers and lakes.

“The paddlefish was alive when dinosaurs were rumbling around in the late Cretaceous Period,” according to a report by the wildlife conservation department. “Paddlefish have long oar or spoon like bills and don’t look like any other Oklahoma fish. ... They swim through the water with their mouth open and filter feed on small microscopic plankton, much like whale sharks do.”

This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 5:17 AM with the headline "7-pound fish freed in 1997 caught weighing record 151 pounds, Oklahoma officials say."