An Idaho man was throwing a twin-tail jig on the Snake River looking for smallmouth bass when he inadvertently hooked something that typically never hits those types of lures.
It was a rare enough feat for Cris Endicott to catch a carp on a jig like that, but making it even more of a specular accomplishment is that the 46-pound 7-ounce fish shattered the state record by 7-pounds. The fish was also more than 10-inches longer than the previous longest fish on record. The world record grass carp in terms of weight is 87-pounds. That fish was caught in Bulgaria but was not as long as the fish recently caught in Idaho.
The record was reportedly confirmed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game earlier this month. The Snake River is famous for whitewater rafting and world-class fishing opportunities for bass, trout, muskies, and sturgeon. Now carp can be added to that list as well.
The most astonishing part of this story is that grass carp are plant-eating animals, so the fact the fish had a go at a lure meant to resemble live bait shows that the species, or at least this fish, in particular, may not be as strictly vegetarian as once believed.
Grass carp are originally native throughout the Asian continent, but the species was introduced to the United States and Europe to help keep aquatic vegetation from taking over lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.
It’s actually the second carp record to be broken in Idaho this year. According to USA Today, the state record for common carp was broken back in May. That 34-pound fish was also caught on the Snake River.
Common was also introduced to the U.S. to help control aquatic vegetation, and the species is native to parts of Asia and Europe.
