Bowfisherman Breaks Oklahoma Silver Carp Record

Longtime bowfisherman Stephen Banaszak already had the Texas record for the heaviest silver carp ever arrowed in the state. He can now add Oklahoma to his list. In mid-August, Banaszak arrowed a 31.3-pound silver carp in the Red River. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation made the state record official on Aug. 31.

“My first official OKLAHOMA state record!” Banaszak wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s been a lot of work and was hard earned but I’m glad to be doing my part to battle these invasive species!”

Little is known about Banaszak’s hunt for the record carp, but a photo on his Facebook profile reveals at least one of his secrets. It shows one of his bowfishing buddies sitting atop an 8-foot ladder that’s set up in the bow of his aluminum skiff. A little sketchy, perhaps, which Banaszak notes in the comments…