Big Fish Caught with a Boat at Moro Bay State Park

Trey and Darlene Cathey of Hot Springs Arkansas stayed in one of Moro Bay State Parks cabins this weekend.  The couple described the cabin as fantastic and rented a boat from the park to see the scenic waterways of Moro Bay, The Ouachita River, and Raymond Lake Sunday Morning.   While driving the boat down Raymond Lake Mr. Cathey was startled by a flash of silver and something hitting his leg.  To his surprise it was a big fish that had literally jumped into the boat with them.
 Shocked by the incident they brought the fish back to the State Park Visitor Center to show it to the Park Ranger, Paul Butler.  Mr. Cathey described the incident to the ranger and told him it is the first time he has ever caught a fish without a fishing pole.  Butler identified the fish as a Silver Carp; an exotic species from Asia stocked in municipal sewage lagoons in Arkansas by state, federal, and private facilities in the 1970’s.  Butler went on to say, the Silver Carp and Big Head carp are similar in appearance and they are both exotic species from Asia.   They were both stocked because they eat large amounts of plankton and detritus.   The Silver carp differs in that when startled by watercraft it can jump up to 10 feet.  Both species escaped from where they were originally stocked throughout the south and have since made their way up the Mississippi into the Arkansas and White Rivers.

Though rare they are also found in Ouachita River.  The fish weighed 15 lbs 1 oz and measured 33 inches long which is big compared to most but Silver Carp can grow up to 60 pounds.   Butler who has worked full time at the park for 12 years has seen a few jumping carp in the area while boating over the past few years.  However this is the first report of one actually jumping into a boat near Moro Bay State Park.  Butler said, when I first began seeing them about three years ago, and by seeing them I mean about 1 or 2 per summer, I contacted a Fisheries Biologist who informed me there are university studies taking place to try and find a marketable purpose for them to aid in irradiation.  I was also told that the Silver Carps jumping behavior is more prevalent in juvenile fish and in shallow water so the danger of these flying fish is expected to be minimal in our large and relatively deep river.
Moro Bay State Park is committed to providing quality facilities and outdoor opportunities for the people of Arkansas.  The parks luxuries cabins are some of the best anywhere and renovations to the parks campground are scheduled to begin next month.  These renovations will include amenity upgrades, 3 new sites, and sewer service to all campsites.   Moro Bay is special place where families can make memories that last a lifetime.  No doubt the Cathey’s will remember this fish story for some time.