Fisherman Reels In HUGE 138-Pound Paddlefish in Keystone Lake, Almost Sets State Record

Fisherman Reels In HUGE 138-Pound Paddlefish in Keystone Lake, Almost Sets State Record
Courtesy of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation/KFOR
Updated:

A Chickasha man has a story to tell after he caught a paddlefish that almost broke the state record.

Erick Hernandez was fishing in Keystone Lake on Saturday when he landed the 138.3-pound (approx. 63-kilogram) female paddlefish.

Hernandez was guided by Jeremiah Mefford, of Reel Good Time Guide Service, who recently set the state record of 143 pounds (approx. 65 kg).

Erick Hernandez was fishing in Keystone Lake on Saturday when he landed the 138.3-pound female paddlefish. (Courtesy of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation/KFOR)
Erick Hernandez was fishing in Keystone Lake on Saturday when he landed the 138.3-pound female paddlefish. Courtesy of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation/KFOR

A biologist with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said since the fish was harvested, they were able to confirm it was female; however, it was loaded with fat and possibly sterile.

Rather than losing weight by generating up to one-quarter of her body weight in eggs and then spawning, sterile fish are able to convert all the energy they consume into fat and can grow quite heavy over their lifespan, wildlife officials say.

Closely related to the sturgeon, paddlefish have been referred to as freshwater sharks and are a relic species with morphological adaptations retained from ancient ancestors. They inhabit the Mississippi and other gulf drainages throughout the United States.

Keystone Lake, Oklahoma (Screenshot/<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@36.2215317,-96.3814753,12z">Google Maps</a>)
Keystone Lake, Oklahoma Screenshot/Google Maps

Like sharks, paddlefish are almost entirely cartilaginous, with a pronounced snout that can be as long as one-third the length of its body. The freshwater fish’s caudal (tail) fin also resembles that of a shark.

Unlike most sharks, however, paddlefish are filter feeders whose main food source consists of plankton.

CNN Wire contributed to this report.