It’s a rare day when a fishing story out of Missouri makes waves all the way up in Big Sky Country, but this one is disturbing enough to share even if it didn’t happen in Montana. All Out Guide Service fishing guide Jim Lynch was out on Lake of the Ozarks doing what he does best—helping clients land massive, prehistoric paddlefish—until the “catch of the day” turned into a scene from a sickening low-budget horror flick.
According to a disturbing report via Outdoor Life, one of Lynch’s clients reeled in a spoonbill that hadn’t just been injured; it had been intentionally mutilated and released back into the water. What first looked like a boat propeller accident turned out to be a series of crude messages and acronyms carved directly into the fish’s side, suggesting some very evil local has a very literal “axe to grind” with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“We are very aware of the situation and are doing everything we can to try and find whoever is responsible,” MDC spokesperson Maddie Est told Outdoor Life.
It’s a sickening twist for a world-class fishery, especially since these threatened fish take nearly a decade to reach trophy size. Because these legal-sized fish are being carved up and tossed back, it puts subsequent anglers in a legal bind and threatens the local population.
Lynch, a former detective who knows a “serial” offender when he sees one, has teamed up with other guides to put a $15,000 bounty on the culprit’s head. If you have any information, the MDC is listening—and they’re hoping the reward money will finally hook the person responsible.