#blackbuffalo

It was a quiet, uneventful night for Brandonn Kramer and Shawn Grawbarger as they floated on the Grand River in Ottawa County, Michigan, searching for their next bowfishing target.

The two were just about to turn on their large motor and head to another location when they noticed the clear water that once resided under their boat turned murky.

Brandonn caught a glimpse of a large black buffalo right on the edge of the mud cloud and told Shawn to get ready.

“It was actually kind of a fluke,” Brandonn, the Cajun Bowfishing Pro-Staffer of five seasons, said. “I knew what kind of fish it was when I aimed, but I didn’t realize it was so large.”

Brandonn fought the river monster with his reel as it attempted to hide in the thick grass beneath his boat.

When the two anglers finally pulled the black buffalo into their boat, they were amazed by its size and immediately took to shore to investigate.

The fish, weighing in at 46.54 pounds and measuring 39.75 inches, was officially confirmed as the new Michigan black buffalo record by Jay Wesley, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Manager for the DNR’s Lake Michigan Basin.

The average length of a Black Buffalo is 20 to 30 inches while the average weight is estimated to be about 10 to 30 pounds. They are found primarily in both small and large rivers in the basins of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio as well as in southern Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.

It’s not hard to notice a buffalo fish – but deciphering which kind can be tricky. The body of a Black Buffalo is thicker than that of a Smallmouth Buffalo, but not as deep. Its coloring, a deep olive tone, is similar to the Bigmouth Buffalo, but a little darker.

The previous record-holder was also caught in the Grand River in Ottawa County by Sage Colegrove on April 12, 2015. That fish weighed 44.54 pounds and measured 38.5 inches.

“That catch completely turned our slow night around,” Brandonn said. “We ended up going back out on the river and staying there for two more hours to see what else we could find.”

Brandonn was contemplating mounting his catch when he was contacted by Alec Lackmann, a Ph.D. candidate from North Dakota State University who is working on a project pertaining to all species of buffalo fish.

Brandonn donated his fish to the student who is now working on aging the fish and comparing it to the bigmouth buffalo, a fish he primarily researches.

The gear Brandonn used to score the record-breaker includes the Cajun Sucker Punch bow, Spin Doctor Reel, Biscuit Arrow Rest and Piranha Point.