Lake Records Program

Two huge fish break in new Lake Records Program
            You don’t have to convince Allen Gifford, Davis, that now is the time to be bass fishing in Oklahoma. He already knows, and the 14 lb., 8 oz., largemouth bass he caught Feb. 27 out of Arbuckle Lake proves it. Not only that, but the huge bass, along with a hefty 40.1-lb. blue catfish caught out of Grand Lake the same day are the first record setting fish to be landed since the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s new Lake Record Fish Program launched just weeks ago.
            Gifford landed his bass in the afternoon using a Terminator spinnerbait.
            “As soon as I set the hook, I knew it was big,” Gifford said. “But I didn’t know how big.”
            The bass has a girth of nearly 23 inches, is over 25 inches long and falls just over three ounces shy of the state record that was landed from Broken Bow Lake in 1999.
            And at Grand Lake, Illinois resident Denny Halgren managed to land his lake record blue catfish with natural bait. The fish was released, but had a length of 43 inches and a girth of 28.5 inches.
            The Lake Record Fish Program was initiated Feb. 1 to recognize the biggest fish from certain reservoirs and the anglers who catch them. Currently, thirteen major lakes are included in the pilot program, including Arbuckle, Broken Bow, Canton, Eufaula, Ft. Cobb, Grand, Kaw, Keystone, Sardis, Skiatook, Tenkiller, Texoma and Thunderbird.
            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.
            “The largemouth bass and blue catfish caught Feb. 27 are noteworthy catches, and we feel the fish as well as the anglers who caught them should be recognized,” said Barry Bolton, fisheries chief for the Wildlife Department. “These are the first record fish actually caught and certified since the program’s inception, and we couldn’t ask for a better way to kick of the program than with a bass going over 14 pounds and a nice, bragging size catfish.”
         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.
            As for Gifford, whose new lake record largemouth nearly took state record status, it is not a coincidence that he caught the giant bass this time of year. According to fisheries biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, right now through the next month is among the best time all year for catching big bass.
            An avid, lifelong fisherman, Gifford agrees this is the time to be fishing, as well as into the spring.
            “I’ve been catching fish all winter to be honest with you,” Gifford said. “The fish have got to eat all year long.”
            Coming out of colder weather means bass are actively feeding and putting on weight for spawning, which in turn means they will be found in shallower waters and may bite more often.
            Bass are likely the most sought after game fish in Oklahoma.
            “This is such a great time to go bass fishing,” said Jeff Boxrucker, assistant chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department. “You can find them all over Oklahoma, and any angler, whether experienced in bass fishing or not, can catch plenty of them. But you have to be out there to catch them. Now through the next few months will be some outstanding fishing.”
            For more information about the new Lake Record Fish Program, or for more on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

****Photo*****

Editor's note: Below is a link for an accompanying photo that is 300 DPI and intended for newspaper publication. The ending link is .jpg for the photo. The photo will open in your browser. If you have a pc you should be able to right click, save picture as, choose the file type you want to save as and click save. The other way is on file in toolbar, save picture as, choosing the file type you want to save as and click save. Images can be viewed with the article at http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wl_news.htm.

Arbuckle largemouth bass 1: http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/022808/bass1high.jpg

Arbuckle largemouth bass 2: http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/022808/bass2low.jpg

Photo Credit: wildlifedepartment.com
Caption: Allen Gifford caught this 14 lb., 8 oz. largemouth bass Feb. 27, which sets a new lake record for Arbuckle Lake and falls just shy of the state record largemouth caught in 1999. The fish also goes down as one of the first fish caught and certified as a lake record since the Wildlife Department’s new Lake Record Fish Program was initiated just weeks ago.

Grand Lake blue catfish: http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/022808/grandbluecatfish.jpg

Photo Credit: wildlifedepartment.com
Caption: Denny Halgren, Ill., caught this 40.1 lb. blue catfish Feb. 27 at Grand Lake, setting a new lake record and going down as one of the first fish caught and certified as a lake record since the Wildlife Department’s new Lake Record Fish Program was initiated just weeks ago.

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New Kaw lake record flathead hooked
            If Lesley McNeff of Mustang had caught her 78 lb. flathead catfish from Kaw Lake this time last year, she may have been the only one to cherish the sweet memory, but since she caught it March 8 of this year, the big cat will go down in the record books.
            The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation initiated its Lake Record Fish Program in February, 2008, to recognize the biggest fish from a number of lakes across the state, as well as the anglers who reel them in.
            McNeff’s catfish goes down as the first lake record flathead catfish and the third lake record caught since the inception of the program. It was caught on a trotline baited with whole shad, and McNeff, 25, and her father braved cold weather to bring home the fish.
            “It was really cold,” McNeff said. “It was 19 degrees when we got on the water.”
            The pair checked her father’s trotline first, coming up with three nice-sized flatheads, then switched to check Lesley’s trotline. There was only one fish on the trotline, but neither of them expected to find a Kaw lake record — weighing an even 78 lbs with a length of 51 inches and a girth of 34.25 inches.
            “I was not disappointed that it was the only fish on the line!” McNeff said.
            McNeff enjoys running trotlines this time of year with her father, who learned the art of successful trotline fishing from his father.
            “My dad’s the best trotline fisherman I know,” McNeff said. “He knows how and where to set them, how to run them.”
            And McNeff’s father has been showing her the ropes since she was just a youngster. Her flathead catfish comes after two other lake records were set in late February. One was a 14 lb., 8 oz. largemouth bass caught by Allen Gifford, Davis, from Arbuckle Lake, and the other was a 40.1 lb. Grand Lake blue catfish caught by Illinois resident Denny Halgren.
            Besides Kaw Lake, there are currently 12 other major lakes included in the Lake Record Fish pilot program, including Arbuckle, Broken Bow, Canton, Eufaula, Ft. Cobb, Grand, Keystone, Sardis, Skiatook, Tenkiller, Texoma and Thunderbird.
            Species eligible for spots in the lake records book include flathead, blue and channel 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 fish 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 new Lake Record Fish Program, or for more on bass fishing in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

****Photo*****

Editor's note: Below is a link for an accompanying photo that is 300 DPI and intended for newspaper publication. The ending link is .jpg for the photo. The photo will open in your browser. If you have a pc you should be able to right click, save picture as, choose the file type you want to save as and click save. The other way is on file in toolbar, save picture as, choosing the file type you want to save as and click save. Images can be viewed with the article

By clicking here.

High Resolution Image.

Small Resolution Image.

Photo Credit: wildlifedepartment.com
Caption: Lesley McNeff, Mustang, caught this 78 lb. flathead catfish March 8 on her Kaw Lake trotline. The fish goes down as the first lake record flathead caught since the Wildlife Department initiated its Lake Record Fish Program Feb. 1. It is the third fish overall to be caught and certified as a Lake Record since the program began.

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