A West Virginia angler recently caught a state record grass carp in Hardy County—the second record grass carp caught in the last two months.
John Miller of Lost City, West Virginia, caught a 54.75-inch, 67.4-pound grass carp on February 18 at Warden Lake, breaking the previous record for length of 53.1 inches recorded by Zach Adkins on January 3, 2020.
William Tucker still holds the record for weight with a 71.69-pound grass carp caught at Warden Lake in 2005.
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a large herbivorous freshwater fish species native to eastern Asia that was introduced in Europe and the United States for aquatic weed control.
The carp thrives in lakes, ponds, pools, and the backwaters of large rivers and prefers large, slow-flowing or standing water bodies with vegetation.
Anglers who believe they may have caught a state record fish should check the current records in the fishing regulations at wvdnr.gov. Procedures for reporting a record catch also are included in the regulations.