CHICAGO — The man who caught a record-breaking carp in Humboldt Park recently stopped by WGN News to discuss his haul.
Jarrett Knize lives close to Humboldt Park and routinely fishes there. Last Saturday, he went bass fishing for about an hour before a big surprise.
“Caught a nice bass and hooked into something I couldn’t move,” he said. “Ended up fighting it for a half hour.”
What emerged was a massive fish, breaking the Illinois record for a carp.
“He got the shopping cart that was left in the alley a couple weeks prior and we strolled it across North Avenue,” Knize said.
They first took the carp, which is one of the biggest invasive species in Illinois, to Park Bait near Montrose Beach, but they needed a certified scale. The friends got it on an official scale at Henry’s in Bridgeport and it weighed 72 pounds and 9 ounces.
Knize said the DNR took the carp’s head as they work to make the catch official.