4/28/2008 |
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Huge Striped Bass Hybrid Takes Lake Record Spot at
Canton
Jones caught his fish in the
evening using a 1-oz. rattletrap. Though the hybrid fell short of the
state record, it reminds anglers that if they catch a potential state
record fish, they should contact an employee of the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation for procedures on certifying state records.
Jones said the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s new Lake Record Fish Program does more than just recognize fish, but that it also encourages the sport of fishing. Before the program was in place, his near state record fish could have gone overlooked by anglers across the state, but the recognition his fish received through the Lake Record Fish Program reminds anglers of the potential that Oklahoma’s lakes hold for producing monster-sized fish.
He said it is common in discussions among anglers to wonder about the sizes of the largest fish caught in lakes across the state. “You don’t have to wonder anymore,” he said. “You can just go on and find out.” Jones is referring to the Wildlife Department’s Web site, wildlifedepartment.com, which includes an easily-operated search feature that allows those interested to view a wealth of lake record fish information, ranging from the size of record fish caught to what kind of bait or rod and reel was used to catch them. And right now, lake records are being set and broken on a regular basis, which means the wealth of information on the Web site is updating and growing regularly as well. Other recent lake records
include a 4.8-lb. smallmouth bass caught by Derek Thurman of
Lakes included in the
program include Arbuckle, Broken Bow,
Anglers who catch a potential record from a participating lake should contact designated business locations around the lake that are enrolled as lake record keepers. A listing of official lake record keepers is available on wildlifedepartment.com. Once it has been determined that an angler has landed a record fish, the media is notified and the public will be able to view information about the catch on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com. All past and current state record fish are registered in the Lake Record Fish Program as records for their respective lakes. To see the complete database
of all lake record fish caught, or to learn more about the Lake Record
Fish program, log on to the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com. -30- |
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Lifelong
Oklahoma angler James Wesley Jones, Jr. of Canton said he loves fishing
because it is a relaxing activity, but there was likely no relaxing going
on April 19 when he landed a 23.2-lb. (23 lbs., 3 oz.) striped bass hybrid
from Canton Lake. The huge fish qualifies as a lake record for
“It
gets people motivated to fish knowing that there are larger fish in the
lake,” Jones said.
Species
eligible for spots in the lake records book include blue, channel and
flathead catfish and largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass in addition
to crappie, paddlefish, striped bass, striped bass hybrids, sunfish
(combined) walleye/saugeye and white bass. Minimum weights are set for
each species are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
Grand
Lake
Grand
Lake
Skiatook
Skiatook