Giant Goldfish Caught Near Little Rock

May 12th 2009

Did your mother ever tell you not to overfeed the goldfish? Someone in Arkansas was definitely not listening.

While fishing on Lake Valencia in Maumelle, Arkansas on May 7, Little Rock firefighter Josh Womack and his friend James Knabe thought the big one they were reeling in was a catfish. But the catch of the day turned out to be a big -- make that enormous -- goldfish.

"We did not weigh it, although now I wish I had, but I estimate the length was around 24 to 28 inches," Womack told the Maumelle Monitor.

Shortly after taking the photo, the guys tossed the fish back in the water.

Clifton Jackson, a fish biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the goldfish could likely set a state record, but that he would need to weigh it to know for sure.

And if Womack's 24-to-28-inch guesstimate is correct, the goldfish would be the longest in the world, let alone Arkansas. Since 2003, a goldfish in Hapert, Netherlands has held the title of Longest Goldfish in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Dutch goldfish measures 18.7-inches from snout to tail-fin end; the Arkansas fish is allegedly a half foot bigger.

But fame came be so fleeting. Jackson said that after a cool weather delay, the commission will be restocking Maumelle lakes with catfish as of next week, making it highly unlikely that the goldfish will get hooked again.