Record setter gets twin winners

Tyler Goodale of Doniphan caught two record-worthy fliers on March 26 at Duck Creek Conservation Area using his pole and line. They both were 11 ounces, and the old state record was 10 ounces, caught on a private pond in 1991.

Fliers are a species of conservation concern in Missouri. The largest populations are found at Duck Creek, which consists of 6,000 acres in southeastern Missouri, and in nearby Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, where extensive areas of standing-water habitat remain.

Fliers prefer quiet, clear bodies of water with little current, considerable aquatic vegetation and a mud bottom.

Missouri Department of Conservation staff verified the fishes’ weight using a certified scale in Wappapello.

It was Goodale’s second state record at Duck Creek Conservation Area. His 5-pound, 4-ounce spotted sucker, taken in 2020, is also the current world record.

Learn more about fliers from MDC’s online Field Guide at https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/ield-guide/flirt

Missouri state record fish are recognized in two categories, pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternatives include trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, gig, bow, crossbow, underwater spearfishing, snagging, snaring, grabbing and atlatl. For more information on state record fish, go to http://bit. ly/2efqllvl.