30-06-2025
Angler reels in record-breaking fish in Connecticut. ‘Is it a baby Hippo?'
An award-winning angler set a state record in Connecticut by reeling in a massive fish, one of his favorite species to catch.
Norbert Samok hooked a Common Carp at Lake Zoar on June 21, nearly three weeks after another angler broke Connecticut's record for the species, according to Connecticut Fish and Wildlife.
The huge fish weighed over 58 pounds and measured more than 44 inches in length — 13 pounds heavier than the carp caught by the previous record holder, Rafal Wlazo, on June 1, the state agency said in a June 25 news release.
Wlazo was also at Lake Zoar, which is a reservoir along Housatonic River, when Samok landed his catch, Connecticut Fish and Wildlife wrote on Facebook.
He took videos and snapped photos of Samok, including one shared by the agency that shows Samok holding up his fish.
'Holy CARP (or is it a baby Hippo?)!,' wildlife officials captioned the post.
Samok, of New York State, is a member of the USA Carp Squad, according to the U.S. Angling Confederation
Having grown up in Hungary, his 'European (background) spurns him on to target carp as a main fishing pleasure,' reads his bio on USAngling's website.
He regularly competes in U.S. carp fishing competitions and has won multiple trophies, according to USAngling.
The record Samok set with the carp from Lake Zoar could prove tough to beat, Connecticut Fish and Wildlife wrote in its post.
When Wlazo set the previous state record for common carp on June 1, his catch weighed more than 45 pounds, the agency said.
Wlazo is the founder of carp fishing gear store Carp Angler in New York.
He congratulated Samok for beating his record, according to Connecticut Fish and Wildlife, saying 'from one champ to another!'
Lake Zoar is about a 15-mile drive northwest from New Haven.
