Master Angler program provides challenge to fishermen

LITTLE ROCK – Late winter and early spring are often the big fish seasons in Arkansas. Successful and skilled anglers may earn places in the elite Master Angler Award Program of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

To qualify, an angler must catch a fish meeting or surpassing the weight standard for that species. This in itself is an accomplishment, as the standards are high. Then, to be certified as a Master Angler, the fisherman must catch qualifiers in three other categories. That calls for versatility as well as skill.

The required four different categories can be chosen from eight classes of Arkansas fish, said Carolyn Ferry of the Game and Fish Commission who is in charge of the Master Angler Award Program. These categories are black bass, sunfish, crappie, pikes and true perches, catfish, trout, true basses, and rough fish.

Ferry said, "Arkansas' Master Angler Award Program was started in 1985 to recognize anglers who catch trophy‑size fish that aren't quite state records but meet demanding minimum weight requirements."

Entry forms are available at most boat docks and bait shops or by writing the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, attn: Master Angler Award, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. Applications are also available on the AGFC Web site at www.agfc.com.

Anglers landing a qualifying fish in a single category will receive a beautifully enameled clutch‑back pin depicting fish in that specific category and a letter of recognition. Once the fisherman has caught a qualifying fish in four different categories, he or she can claim the title of Master Angler. As a Master Angler the fisherman will receive a hand‑lettered certificate suitable for framing and display. Both resident and nonresident anglers are eligible for the awards, but a person who has been convicted of a fishing violation in the past three years is not eligible.

Minimum qualifying weights, by species:

Black Bass: largemouth bass 8.0 pounds; smallmouth bass 3.5 pounds; spotted bass 4.0 pounds.

Sunfish: bluegill 1.0 pounds; redear 1.5 pounds; longear sunfish 0.5 pounds; warmouth 1.0 pounds; rock bass 1.0 pounds; green sunfish 1.0 pounds; hybrid bream 1.5 pounds.

Pikes and True Perches: sauger 2.0 pounds; walleye 14.0 pounds; pickerel 4.0 pounds; northern pike 10.0 pounds; tiger muskie 5.0 pounds.

Catfish: bullhead catfish 2.0 pounds; flathead catfish 20.0 pounds; channel catfish 12.0 pounds; blue catfish 20.0 pounds.

Trout: rainbow trout 8.0 pounds; brown trout 12.0 pounds; brook trout 3.0 pounds; cutthroat trout 5.0 pounds; lake trout 5.0 pounds.

True Basses: striped bass 25.0 pounds; hybrid striped bass 13.0 pounds; white bass 3.5 pounds.

Crappie: white crappie 3.0 pounds; black crappie 3.0 pounds.

Rough Fish: bowfin 10.0 pounds; common carp 20.0 pounds; gar 20.0 pounds; paddlefish 30.0 pounds; grass carp 30.0 pounds; drum 12.0 pounds; buffalo 30.0 pounds.

It's a challenge, as a fisherman can see from these minimums. But no one expects a Master Angler Award to come easily.

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