On the 4th of May 2008, in the Mississippi river, master angler Darin Opel caught the largest carp in the history of the western hemisphere. The sucker was 92 lbs, shattering the former record of 35 lbs set two years ago. But it’s not only the what that’s cool; it’s the how. As if the catch wasn’t impressive enough, Opel actually shot the fish using a compound bow and arrow - nailed it right above the eye. Then, after fighting with it for 10 minutes, he jumped in the water and wrestled it to shore.

Opel’s a genuine hunter, taking on not only fish, but sharks, and even alligators. In fact, he’s extremely allergic to fish, and gives away his catches to his buddies.

So if that’s the biggest in the west, how big do carps get in Asia?

Not to take away from Darin’s achievements, but the largest carp caught in Asia, pictured below, was a Siamese carp caught by the Thai fisherman on the right last year. It weighed a shocking 256 lbs.

Here’s a video that shows pictures bowfisherman Opel and the massive carp (fast forward to about a minute in): http://wcco.com/video/?id=41361@wcco.dayport.com

Bowfishing in action

In case you were wondering how it works…

These dudes love their bowfishing…

What’s next? …