Thayne Miller with his record-setting smallmouth buffalo caught April 27, 2023, at Clinton Lake. Thayne Miller photo.

CLINTON LAKE, Kan. – Kansas is known far and wide for its storied history of big buffalo, but one buffalo in particular will be remembered for entirely different reasons. Topeka resident Thayne Miller set the new Kansas state record for the largest smallmouth buffalo caught in Kansas. The behemoth fish, which weighed in at 64.75 pounds, measured 45.25 inches long, and had a total girth or circumference of 35 inches. Miller caught the record-size fish April 27, 2023, at Clinton Reservoir, near Lawrence, Kan., using bowfishing equipment.

The previous Kansas state record for a smallmouth buffalo was set in 1979 by Scott Butler, of Lawrence, who reeled in a 51-pound, 41-inch long fish from a private farm pond in Douglas County.

Trophy catches such as these end up as a Kansas State Record if:

• The fish is caught by a licensed angler using legal means.
• The fish is identified by a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks district fisheries biologist or regional fisheries supervisor.
• The fish is weighed on a certified scale prior to being frozen.
• The fish is photographed, in color, and a state record application is filled out.
• The mandatory 30-day waiting period has passed.

See https://ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/State-Record-Fish for a complete list of current Kansas state record fish.

Anyone who has caught a big fish in Kansas, but not quite a state record, can apply for a Master Angler Award to be recognized for the catch if it exceeds species specific measurements listed here.

For more on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/Fishing.

Information thanks to KDWP.