Jacob Kinney took this 63.35 pound carp while bowfishing last May in the Alburgh area of Lake Champlain. It beat the existing carp record set in 2021 by nearly 20 pounds.
In May of 2022, North Hero angler Jacob Kinney was out bowfishing at night for carp on Lake Champlain and took a fish that weighed an incredible 63.4 pounds. This monster carp smashed the previous record set just last year by Bradley DiSorda – a fish that weighed 44 pounds 11 ounces, also taken on Lake Champlain by bow. Kinney’s new record measured 39 ¼ inches in length while its girth was an immense 37 ¼-inches.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Shawn Good, who administers the state’s Record Fish Program, says Kinney’s carp is the heaviest fish ever entered in the program.
“The department started tracking state record fish in 1969, and this 63 pound carp is far and away the largest fish ever entered,” said Good. “As a matter of fact, looking through the more than 1,200 entries received over the last 53 years, seven of the ten biggest fish on the list are carp. The other three fish in the Top 10 are a muskellunge, a lake trout and a channel catfish.”
Good says with the increased interest in carp fishing in North American waters in the last 10-20 years, Kinney’s giant really shines a light on the potential Lake Champlain has as a world class carp fishing destination.
“Bradley’s record carp last year was no slouch at nearly 45 pounds,” said Good. “But then Jacob’s fish beating it by nearly 20 pounds is really just mind blowing.”
Good says that at 265,000 acres and 120-miles long, Lake Champlain offers a nearly untapped carp population that receives very little attention.
“I think that die-hard carpers, whether they fish European style, or go after them with fly gear, would be floored at what Champlain has to offer. The lake not only produces trophy sized fish but it also provides consistent action for carp in the 15 to 20 pound range. It truly is a carp angler’s dream paradise.”
