Lake Records News Stories for 2010
Oklahoma angler lands 13 lb. 4 oz. largemouth for lake record and “Top 20 Bass” list spot (3/18/2010)
Country music star lands lake record paddlefish (4/15/2010)
New Wister lake record crappie goes over four pounds; other lake records fill the books (4/22/2010)
Oklahoma pro angler lands lake record while fishing Lake Murray (April 29, 2010)
Ft. Cobb angler lands 10.6 lb. lake record bass from improved habitat area (April 29,2010)
Oklahoma angler lands 13 lb. 4 oz. largemouth for lake record and “Top 20 Bass”
list spot (3/18/2010)
A Maysville angler put a new fish on Oklahoma’s list of Top 20
largemouth bass when he caught a 13 lb. 4 oz. lunker from Longmire Lake March
14.
David Kinard caught the fish using soft plastic bait in the North
Creek area of Longmire, located east of Paul’s Valley. The fish measured 26
inches in length and 23.25 inches in girth and was released. Taking the No. 17
spot on the state’s list of Top 20 Largemouth Bass from Randy Faddis’s 13 lb. 2
oz. fish caught in 1995, Kinard’s fish also stands as a new lake record for
Longmire.
Though it is not often that an angler lands a “Top 20 bass,”
catching big largemouths this time of year is common. In fact, the No. 1 fish on
the list, a 14 lb. 11 oz. fish caught by William Cross in 1999 from Broken Bow
Lake, was caught March 14 that year, and a total of 13 of the fish on the list
also were caught in March, with several others on the list caught in late
February or early April. Nearly half of the fish on the Top 20 list were caught
in the last 10 years.
According to Gene Gilliland, central region fisheries supervisor for
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, big bass such as those that
reach 12-13 lbs. are certain to have significant genetic influences from the
Florida strain of largemouth, which the Wildlife Department has been stocking in
suitable lakes since the early 1970s.
“They have the genetic potential to grow up to be trophies,”
Gilliland said, and often more so than the native strain.
While Florida largemouth bass carry the genetic potential to become
large fish, the equation doesn’t end there.
Trophy fish potential is the primary reason the Wildlife Department
includes Florida largemouth bass in its stocking program — not to increase fish
numbers. In order for that genetic potential to have full effect, however, bass
also must have proper habitat conditions as well as time to grow to trophy
sizes. According to Gilliland, it takes about 10 years on average for a
largemouth bass with good genetics and good habitat conditions to reach the
10-lb. mark. Since Oklahoma is on the northern fringe of where Florida
largemouth bass can be successful, warmer lakes such as those in southern
portions of the state offer the best chances to grow big trophy bass, and the
Top 20 list reflects that as well.
According to fisheries biologists with the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation, now through the next month is a great time to be fishing
for not only big bass, but also for high numbers of bass as water temperatures
warm and as spawning season approaches.
A number of good live and artificial bait choices are available
including plastic worms, spinnerbaits and assortments of jigs as well as live
minnows and even worms.
According to Gilliland, anybody can catch a nice bass in Oklahoma,
as long as they get out on the water and try.
To fish in Oklahoma, anglers must have a state fishing license. Some
municipalities and lakes also require anglers to carry special permits. Consult
the current “Oklahoma Fishing Guide” for more information.
To see a photograph of Kinard’s fish, log on to
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=878
. Other lake record fish and information about the lake record fish program can
be viewed through a user-friendly search feature on the Wildlife Department’s
Web site at
http://129.15.97.19/fishsite/
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New Wister lake record crappie goes over four pounds; other lake records fill
the books (4/22/2010)
When Wister angler Jon Duvall and his cousin Clint decided to take a
few youngsters fishing April 17, they ended up catching very few fish, but one
reeled in by Duvall was a real whopper by any crappie angler’s standards.
Duvall’s crappie weighed 4.2 lb. and measured 17.75 inches in
length, setting a Wister lake record not likely to be surpassed for some time.
He caught the slab on a jig in the lower end of the lake.
Up to that point, only one crappie had been caught — one landed by
Clint on the first cast of the trip. Though Duvall said that first fish was a
nice crappie and the fishing party was excited about a potentially great fishing
trip, the fishing did not pick up.
“We fished and fished, but caught nothing,” Duvall said “Finally,
right before it started to rain, I caught the biggest crappie we had ever seen.”
Just one day before Duvall caught his huge “papermouth,” another
lake record crappie was landed by 14-year-old angler Jessica Ellis. She caught
her 2.3 lb. crappie from Tecumseh Lake using a Rainbow rod and reel given to her
that day by her brother, who is also a lake record holder for a crappie he
caught in March at Shawnee Twin Lake #1. Ellis’s lake record crappie, which she
caught on natural bait in an area behind the lake’s pavilion, was also her first
crappie.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s lake record fish
program was initiated in 2008 to recognize big fish from certain lakes and the
anglers who catch them.
The program has grown from about a dozen lakes at its inception to
more than 40 lakes today. So anglers all over the state can go fishing just for
leisure, but they can also go with a sense of competitive drive in hopes of
putting their name in a record book.
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 and are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
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.
An easily-operated search feature is available on the website 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.
All past and current state record fish are registered in the lake
record fish program as records for their respective lakes.
For more information about the lake record fish program, or for more
on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
****Photo*****
Duvall Crappie:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=941
Ellis Crappie:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=935
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Lake record updates for April
Lake: Chouteau L
Species: Striped bass hybrid
Weight: 11.5 lbs.
Angler: Joshua Denton
Date caught: April 20
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=944
Lake: Ft. Cobb
Species: Largemouth bass
Weight: 10.6 lbs.
Angler: Charles R. Coffman
Date caught: April 18
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=939
Lake: Tenkiller
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.3 lbs.
Angler: Mike Hayman
Date caught: April 18
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=940
Lake: Hudson
Species: Paddlefish
Weight: 40 lbs.
Angler: Blake Shelton
Date caught: April 13
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=926
Lake: Okmulgee
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.3
Angler: Glen Brown
Date caught: April 11
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=929
Lake: Murray
Species: Largemouth bass
Weight: 12.1 lbs.
Angler: Jeff Kriet
Date caught: April 7
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=902
Lake: Kaw
Species: White bass
Weight: 3.3 lbs.
Angler: Michael Bastemeyer
Date caught: April 5
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=900
Lake: Thunderbird
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.9 lbs.
Angler: Jereme Fortune
Date caught: April 2
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=897
Lake: Kaw
Species: Crappie
Weight: 3.0 lbs.
Angler: Robert Robinson
Date caught: April 2
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=899
Lake: Sardis
Species: Largemouth bass
Weight: 11.8 lbs.
Angler: Mark Wiles
Date caught: March 30
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=906
Lake: Ft. Cobb
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.5 lbs.
Angler: Shanon Pack
Date caught: March 30
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=891
Lake: Hefner
Species: Smallmouth bass
Weight: 6.5 lbs.
Angler: Bryan P. Suchy
Date caught: March 29
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=889
Lake: Wes Watkins
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.7 lbs.
Angler: Cory Gray
Date caught: March 29
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=888
Lake: Texoma
Species: Spotted bass
Weight: 3.8 lbs.
Angler: Royce Harlan
Date caught: March 28
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=886
Lake: R.S. Kerr
Species: Spotted bass
Weight: 3.4 lbs.
Angler: Joe Erwin
Date caught: March 28
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=894
Lake: Shawnee Twin #1
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.1 lbs.
Angler: Lucas Ellis
Date caught: March 24
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=884
Lake: Oologah
Species: Crappie
Weight: 2.5 lbs.
Angler: Cody McEndree
Date caught: March 23
Photo and more information:
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=883
For more on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s lake record fish
program, including a user-friendly record fish search feature, log on to
http://129.15.97.19/fishsite/
Oklahoma pro angler lands lake record while fishing Lake Murray
(April 29, 2010)
Professional angler and Oklahoma resident Jeff Kriet caught both a
personal best and a lake record largemouth bass this month at Lake Murray when
he reeled in a 12.1 lb. fish from the south end of the dam.
Kriet, who lives in Ardmore, was fishing for smallmouth, and though
his party landed more than 50 that day, it was the largemouth that put him in
the record books.
“That’s the biggest bass I’d ever caught,” said Kriet, who has been
bass fishing full time for the past 15 years. “I’ve fished all over the place.”
Kriet has been fishing Lake Murray for about 35 years, and the lake
has not only produced his best largemouth, but he also caught his best
smallmouth out of the lake as well. However, unlike the smallmouth, which he
said weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz., the largemouth was officially weighed and put in the
books for good.
“I think it’s a great deal,” Kriet said about the lake record fish
program.
When fishing a lake, he said he often finds himself curious to know
what the record for that body of water might be, which is one reason he likes
the lake record fish program. Endless stories are told about big fish from
various lakes — and there is undoubtedly some truth to many of them — but with
no official record, there is an element of legend to it that leaves room for
skeptics.
But with the lake record fish program, fish get the recognition they
deserve and prove to other anglers just what kind of fish Oklahoma lakes can
produce, and Kriet’s Lake Murray largemouth is no exception.
Kriet said the lake record program gives anglers an incentive to
have big fish officially weighed, drawing attention to fish that deserve to be
recognized and removing any doubt about what kind of fish swim in Oklahoma
waters.
“It’s on paper and it was let go,” said Kriet about his fish. “It’s
not a rumor anymore.”
The information from Kriet’s bass is in the record books, but the
actual fish is back in Lake Murray, only to grow and perhaps break its own
record under the name of a future angler.
“It’s a great lake,” said Kriet about Lake Murray. “It’s just full
of fish.”
The day Kriet caught his lake record largemouth, he went to a
honey-hole on the lake where he knew fish spawned early, and it was there he
landed his lake record.
The fish measured 26 inches in length and 20.5 inches in girth.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s lake record fish
program was initiated in 2008 to recognize big fish from certain lakes and the
anglers who catch them.
The program has grown from about a dozen lakes at its inception to
more than 40 lakes today. So anglers all over the state can go fishing just for
leisure, but they can also go with a sense of competitive drive in hopes of
putting their name in a record book.
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 and are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
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.
An easily-operated search feature is available on the website 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.
All past and current state record fish are registered in the lake
record fish program as records for their respective lakes.
For more information about the lake record fish program, or for more
on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
****Photo*****
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=902
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Ft. Cobb angler lands 10.6 lb. lake record bass from improved habitat area
(April 29,2010)
When Charles Coffman of Ardmore nabbed a 10.6 lb. lake record
largemouth bass from Ft. Cobb Lake April 18, fisheries biologists were pleased,
not only because the fish was the first known largemouth bass over 10 lbs. from
the western Oklahoma lake, but also because it was caught in an area recently
targeted for improving fishing opportunities.
The fish was caught from a new shallow-water brush pile near the new
dock that was installed by Fort Cobb State Park and the Bureau of Reclamation.
The brush pile, created by personnel with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation, was part of an effort to draw fish to concentrated areas so
anglers can enjoy improved success.
“We pursued the shallow-water brush project after results of last
year’s bass sampling showed quick returns — adult bass found and used the trees
within days — and it’s nice to see that it translated to angler success as
well,” said Larry Cofer, southwest region fisheries supervisor for the Wildlife
Department.
The shallow-water brush project at Ft. Cobb involved cutting and
placing over 500 cedar trees in eight locations across the lake, and more than
half of the trees are visible to anglers in no-wake zones of the lake.
“We already received several good comments from bass and crappie
anglers and look forward to many more fishing success stories from Ft. Cobb,”
Cofer said.
Invasive cedar trees spread fast and, for the amount of nutrients
and space they take up, they offer few benefits to wildlife that cannot be
obtained from noninvasive native trees. As a result, one of the best places for
cedar trees, if not treated with prescribed fire, is at the bottom of a lake
where fish will use them as cover. There, they not only provide habitat, but
they also provide fishing opportunities for anglers while benefiting
land-dwelling wildlife.
Coffman’s largemouth bass measured 25 ¼ inches in length and 18 ¼
inches in girth. It was caught on a soft plastic bait and goes down as one of
many lake records set this spring on lakes all across the state.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s lake record fish
program was initiated in 2008 to recognize big fish from certain lakes and the
anglers who catch them.
The program has grown from about a dozen lakes at its inception to
more than 40 lakes today. So anglers all over the state can go fishing just for
leisure, but they can also go with a sense of competitive drive in hopes of
putting their name in a record book.
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 and are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
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.
An easily-operated search feature is available on the website 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.
All past and current state record fish are registered in the lake
record fish program as records for their respective lakes.
For more information about the lake record fish program, or for more
on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
****Photo*****
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=939
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Country music star
lands lake record paddlefish
Country music star and avid outdoorsman Blake Shelton of Tishomingo
landed a lake record paddlefish April 13 when he reeled in a 40 lb. fish from
below the Lake Hudson dam.
The fish measured 41 inches in length and was caught by way of
snagging — the most common approach to catching “spoonbills.” Paddlefish do not
strike lures or live bait but instead feed on tiny organisms called plankton.
“I have been an outdoorsman my whole life and I love to hunt and
fish,” Shelton, 33, said. “I have been fishing as long as I can remember, and
catching a paddlefish is the most exciting kind of fishing I have ever
experienced.”
Shelton’s lake record comes just as the paddlefish angling in
northeast Oklahoma is peaking. The best time to fish for paddlefish is during
the spring (usually late March to mid-April) when the fish move up from
reservoirs into rivers for their annual spawning run. The fish travel upstream
and become concentrated, making it easier for anglers to locate good fishing
spots.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s lake record fish
program was initiated in 2008 to recognize big fish from certain lakes and the
anglers who catch them.
The program has grown from about a dozen lakes at its inception to
more than 40 lakes today. So anglers all over the state can go fishing just for
leisure, but they can also go with a sense of competitive drive in hopes of
putting their name in a record book.
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 and are detailed on the Wildlife Department’s Web site at
wildlifedepartment.com.
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.
An easily-operated search feature is available on the Web site 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.
All past and current state record fish are registered in the lake
record fish program as records for their respective lakes.
For more information about the lake record fish program, or for more
on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
****Photo*****
http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=926
<http://lake-record.ou.edu/fishsite/public/fishView.php?id=926>
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