‘Behemoth’ 64-pound fish caught by bowfisherman sets a record in Kansas. Check it out

A Kansas man used bowfishing equipment to break a state fishing record that had stood for 44 years.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks said Thayne Miller caught the “behemoth” smallmouth buffalo at Clinton Reservoir, about five miles west of Lawrence.

The fish weighed 64.75 pounds and was 45.25 inches long with a circumference of 35 inches.

Miller, of Topeka, showed off the fish in a Facebook post May 4. State officials have recently certified it as the state record.

“I hope I’m able to see the fish that breaks this one in my lifetime,” he said in the Facebook post.

The previous smallmouth buffalo record was caught in 1979, according to the department of wildlife & parks. Scott Butler reeled in the 51-pound from a private farm pond in Douglas County.

“This is about the fish, not the harvest,” Miller said on Facebook. “To everyone, get your kids out hunting and fishing.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2023 at 10:23 AM with the headline "‘Behemoth’ 64-pound fish caught by bowfisherman sets a record in Kansas. Check it out."