O'Fallon, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that James Lucas of O’Fallon became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he caught a hybrid striped bass on the Mississippi River.

The new “alternative method” record hybrid striped bass caught by Lucas on April 22 weighed 8-pounds, 6-ounces with a length of 24 3/4 inches and a girth of 18 1/2 inches. Lucas caught the fish with a throwline in one of his honey holes. MDC staff verified the record-weight fish using a certified scale in O’Fallon.

“I’m really excited that I caught this fish,” said Lucas. “I have been trying for over a month and a half to set this record with a throwline, and I’m just really glad all my practice finally paid off.”

Lucas added fishing with a throwline isn’t easy; it takes a lot of practice to get it down.

“I was able to locate the fish and get over the hybrid striped bass and drop my line. Then the fight was on. The striped bass put up a decent fight, but once I got him on the bank, I got that gut feeling I had the record,” he said. “I didn’t know for sure until I talked with MDC and they confirmed it.”

Lucas is familiar with state-record fish. He holds a state record for the skipjack herring in the alternative method category, which he broke on April 8.

“You haven’t heard the last of me,” he said. “I hope to set many more state records in the future. As for this fish, I plan on mounting it and putting it on the wall with the others.”

Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl.