Robert Audrain IV was fishing from a private pond when he broke a state record.
The 13-year-old from St. Louis used alternative methods to catch the 5-ounce longear sunfish.
Per Missouri Department of Conservation, Audrain’s father held the previous record caught on the same day from the exact location in 2020.
“We were at the lake fishing all day and having fun,” Audrain said. “I was using my handline and after about five minutes of trying I pulled out the fish. I’m really proud of myself and pretty competitive so it’s cool I beat my dad’s record.”
Audrain hopes to mount his record and place it next to his dad’s on a wall at their home.
“We were actually joking that it would be funny if we had a new record on the wall each year that is an ounce bigger,” he said. “I think we’re definitely going to keep trying to break our records.”
More:Bonne Terre man uses pole-and-line to snag state fish record with river carpsucker catch
Officials weighed the sunfish on a certified scale at MDC’s St. Louis Regional Office. It is the seventh state record fish recording for 2021.
Missouri state record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include throwlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery and atlatl.
For more information on state record fish, visit http://bit.ly/2efq1vl.
Sara Karnes is an Outdoors Reporter with the Springfield News-Leader. Follow along with her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Got a story to tell? Email her at skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.