After a lifetime of hunting and fishing, it didn’t even rank in Connor Marcoe’s top 10.
The 24-year-old Palmyra bow fisherman recently shot a state record flathead catfish weighing 55 pounds. It was about 46 inches in length.
The old mark was 52-8.
For Marcoe, memories from hunting and fishing with friends and family top any big fish. Still, he said holding the state record is a privilege.
“I definitely put my time on it,’’ he said. “It’s the cherry on the top to add that to something you love.’’
Marcoe fishes three or four times a week. He also competes in several Bowfishers of Nebraska tournaments.
He’s usually chasing rough fish. Invasive species like silver and asian carp are taking nutrients out of the water that local fish need to survive, and there are no limits on them.
The day he shot his record fish he’d harvested a few common carp and passed up five or six smaller flatheads. He was using a Oneida Osprey bow.
“Then I saw that big flathead and capitalized on it and made a good shot,’’ Marcoe said. “Right away, I knew it was something special I should probably look into.’’
He would only say that he killed the fish in a small river in southeast Nebraska. Too many times he’s visited his favorite spots there and found beer cans and debris, so he doesn’t think local landowners would appreciate a rush on the area.
“Any time I go fishing, I like to leave it in better shape than I found it,’’ he said. “I will pick up trash and beer cans. It’s just too bad that people are like that.’’
Marcoe said he was taught better by his family. It’s also something he respects about the many organizations that he’s a part of, including the Nebraska Bowhunters Association and Ducks Unlimited.
Marcoe also is an avid bowhunter and says if there’s a season, he’ll try it.
“I’m not going to say I’m the best at any of it,’’ he said, “but I’m decent at most.’’
