Kansas is known far and wide for its storied history of big buffalo, but one “buffalo” in particular will be remembered for entirely different reasons – a smallmouth buffalo, that is.

According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Topeka resident, Thayne Miller, has just set the new Kansas state record for the largest smallmouth buffalo caught in Kansas. The behemoth fish, which weighed in at 64.75 pounds, measured 45.25 inches long and had a total girth or circumference of 35 inches. Miller unearthed the record-size fish from Clinton Reservoir, five miles west of Lawrence on K-10 Highway, using bowfishing equipment.

The previous Kansas state record for a smallmouth buffalo was set in 1979 by Scott Butler of Lawrence when he reeled in a 51-pound, 41-inch-long smallmouth buffalo from a private farm pond in Douglas County.

Trophy catches such as these end up as a Kansas State Record if:

• The fish is caught by a licensed angler using legal means
• The fish is identified by a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks district fisheries biologist or regional fisheries supervisor
• The fish is weighed on a certified scale prior to being frozen
• The fish is photographed, in color, and a state record application is filled out
• The mandatory 30-day waiting period has passed.

Click HERE to see a complete list of current Kansas state record fish.

Caught a big fish but not quite a state record? Apply for a “Master Angler Award” and be recognized for your catch if it exceeds the measurements listed HERE