Articles on Premier Angler may contain affiliate links. Please see our Affiliate Disclosure for more information.
When we looked at the list of state record fish caught in 2019, the name Bryant Rackers stood out. While his fish were far from the biggest, what stood out was the sheer number of records he established and how quickly they were achieved.
Within a one-month span, Rackers managed to land three Missouri state fishing records. Racker’s skipjack, white perch, and sauger records brought his career total to four. He had also previously landed a Missouri record blue sucker.
On February 16th, Rackers added a fifth catch to that list. Using a trotline, he pulled in the new Missouri state record (alternative method) shorthead redhorse. The qualifying catch weighed in at 2 pounds, 6 ounces.
Anglers were quick to comment on Racker’s success, attributing it to a keen knowledge and understanding of a variety of species. While these may not be the most popular game fish in Missouri, it is certainly a noteworthy achievement.
As Rackers told the Missouri Department of Conservation, his success has come both from pure luck and planning.
“I keep a little book of all my logs,” said Rackers. “I track what the weather is doing, how much water is being released by the dam, stuff like that.”
Of particular note is the fact that all five of Racker’s record catches have come from the Osage River.
While the mounting series of records have garnered Rackers some notoriety both locally and across the fishing community, the Missourian does not plan to slow down any time soon. He currently holds a tie for his skipjack herring and would like to claim the undisputed title soon.
*Note: Missouri awards start fishing records for both “pole-and-line” and “alternative” methods. Alternative methods can include throwlines, atlatl, limb lines, bank lines, spearfishing, snaring, gigging, trotlines, grabbing, jug lines, snagging, and archery
Comments are closed.