Ross Martin of Cabot may have established a state record for a river carp sucker, but he doesn't expect it to stand long.
He believes he has caught bigger examples of the fish's species before he pulled one out of the Maumelle Pool of the Arkansas River late July 11 with his bowfishing rig.
"Nobody knew if there was a state record," said Martin, who was fishing with Steven Ruple. "We didn't know what they were at first. We caught some that were bigger than that some other times we went. I figured out too late what they were, and that there wasn't a record established, so I went back and got another one."
This river carp sucker measured 2 pounds, 7.4 ounces at the Little Rock fisheries headquarters. The total length from tip to tail was 18 inches; fork length, which is from the tip of the nose to the "V" in the tail, was 16 3/4 inches. The fish's girth, measured in front of the dorsal fin, was 11 1/2 inches.
Martin said he bowfishes about two nights a week. He and Ruple look mainly for fish like buffalo or gar, which is what led to them finding the river carp sucker. Martin said carp suckers are "almost impossible" to take by other means.
Specifically, he said, the carp suckers were found in Murray Lake, upriver from Murray Lock and Dam. "At night, they come up in the shallow water," he said. "I haven't seen a whole bunch of them."
Martin, 35, said he's hunted game and fish with bows since he was 14. He plans to return regularly to beat his established mark, but figures Ruple will be trying to better the record, too. They may be exchanging existing records for a while, Martin said.
In the meantime, they'll focus on the fish they prefer to eat: the buffalo, the gar and the catfish in season.
"Buffalo are good, and gar actually are good if you cook it right," Martin said.
Sports on 07/24/2016