Missouri Man Catches State Record 65-Pound Striped Bass!

Imagine catching a fish you have to put in a bearhug to get out of the water!

Lawrence Dillman of Rockaway Beach, Mo., was fishing Bull Shoals Lake last week when he landed a Missouri state record striped bass that weighed 65 pounds, 2 ounces!

The new “pole-and-line” record fish caught May 21 was 49-3/4 inches long and had a girth of 36 inches, according to the Missouri Conservation Department.

The new giant broke the previous pole-and-line state-record striped bass of 60 pounds, 9 ounces caught on Bull Shoals Lake in 2011.

“Once the fish was on the line, I knew I had a decent one, but I didn’t at all think it was a striped bass,” Dillman said. “I thought it was a spoonbill or something else. But when I got him to the bank, I knew I had something amazing!”

Dillman used 20-pound-test line and a chub minnow to catch the monster.

“I fought the giant for over 45 minutes until I got him to shallow water,” Dillman added. “I then bear hugged the fish and got it out of the water on to the bank.”

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale at the MDC Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery in Taney County.

Dillman said he fishes every day and he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“I’ve caught bigger fish in the ocean, but this fish is the biggest freshwater fish I have ever caught,” he said.

The longtime angler said he is getting the fish mounted.

Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl

Top Photo: Lawrence Dillman of Rockaway Beach holds up his 65-pound, 2-ounce state-record striped bass.