12.6 large mouth caught at Williamsport

[Alphahawk]

Check out this HAWG.

[wordty]

wow! was that today?

[Alphahawk]

wow! was that today?

No it was caught Friday. He caught it on a minnow....LOL. It was on the Williamsport facebook page. I don't know if he was fishing for crappie or what. It is really colored up nice.



Regards

[tkwalker]

Check out this HAWG.

Has it been certified ???? ... or a local weight measurment ?? <'TK><

[Alphahawk]

Has it been certified ???? ... or a local weight measurment ?? <'TK><

Not that I know of......that's all the info they had on their website.



Regards

[Reel Tune]

I hope it tasted good.

[Travis C.]

Pretty fish.

I bet there are quite a few of those hawgs swimming about small lakes/ponds across this state that get little pressure.

[Alphahawk]

I hope it tasted good.

Yeah.......from the place the photo was taken I don't think it was released....but I don't know that. Maybe he put it in the live well in the boat behind him and drove it back down to the lake.....I hope.


Regards

[Reel Tune]

Last time I was there the store didn't have a porch on it, bet it cleaned up real nice, maybe 4 big sammich's.

[Alphahawk]

Last time I was there the store didn't have a porch on it, bet it cleaned up real nice, maybe 4 big sammich's.

You are right.....I am not sure that is the store.


Regards

[Reel Tune]

Bet it's his front porch. "Mamma get the grease hot I gotta gudun'.

I know this fish is perfectly legal, and at Williamsport TWRA Lakes the largemouth must be 20" to harvest. I just like to see big girls released so they can reproduce, so we can have more of their genes in the waters. Anymore you can get a replica made to look better than some skin mounts. Carry a camera with you and get a few good pics, carry a measuring device to get the length, cut a few pieces of fishing string to get the girth and a few other measurements. Then get that girl with all those eggs back in the water so she can produce more trophy fish.

I don't mind seeing fish harvested it's your right, but trophys, come on.

I'm not out there to catch sub 18" fish, I'm out there to catch the biggest, baddest thing swimming in the water get a few pictures and put her back in the water within yards of where she was caught so she can go back to her habitat I took her from.

Jeremy

[Alphahawk]

I just posed the question to them if the fish was released. Also they just posted on the facebook page that Hank Parker signed the back of the photo. That's kind of strange....was Hank Parker fishing at Williamsport? I could not have kept it....and wish it was released.


Regards

[Reel Tune]

I'm with you Randy. I have a set of Bogas that I have certified through the IGFA, and that's good enough for me, and a decent camera.

Jeremy

[Alphahawk]

I'm with you Randy. I have a set of Bogas that I have certified through the IGFA, and that's good enough for me, and a decent camera.

Jeremy

One of the things I like about kayak tournament fishing........is the way fish are photographed and released. I never posted about it but this past summer while fishing some Gill beds at Pickwick from the bank I thought there had been a fish kill. Then it occurred to me that it was only largemouth floating.....around 30 of them in the 2 to 3 pound range.....and I only walked about 40 yards of the bank. Then it hit me...I was fishing at the spot they did tournament weigh ins and release...and this was a Monday and they had a tournament that Sunday. Made me sick. Those fish had been in hot live wells all day and maybe they were alive when released but they were in no shape to make it. As everyone knows I panfish a lot. But if I get that 12 inch Gill...or 17 inch plus crappie...it is going back. Those fish probably have the genes that helped them to get that size and they need to be allowed to have thousands of off spring to give the lake some real trophies....same with bass and all fish. I know this can be a hot button issue but practicing catch and release on trophy sized fish just benefits us all. The IGFA has started a good thing...IMHO. It is the all tackle length record for fish. Send in the photo and that is all there is to it. I have looked at the records.....I have caught many fish much longer than what there so far records are.....of course not many are aware of this I don't think. The only caveat is you must purchase their measuring device...about 50 bucks I think. Sure beats killing the fish.


Regards

[Reel Tune]

They just started doing the IGFA length records about 3 years ago. You do have to buy their measuring device which is around the $50 price tag along with the IGFA membership. There are a lot of records still easily attainable by length.

I've done some reading about delayed mortality and the percentage is pretty high I think in the 35% range. Some of the weekend warriors rigs are not equipped to handle hauling fish around for 6+hrs in 90deg temps. There are special additives, and many other things that help, and the Elite Pros have the best of the best equipment and see the lowest mortality rate. BUT what happens when they are fishing beds and take the fish from the bed it's unprotected and easily accessable to predators. Then the fish is released after the weigh in miles usually from where the bed she was on, or even buck bass for that matter that are protecting the beds.

Anyone can tell me "hey I don't fish beds, well I call BS". Just because you can't see a bed dosen't mean that fish didn't come off one. Sometimes water clairity is less than 3', some fish bed in water up to 10-12' deep like some smallmouth.

I try not to keep the fish out of the water for more than a minute to one minute and a half max.

A little reading on delayed mortality.
http://www.sdafs.org/tcafs/meetings/96meet/gillilan.htm

Jeremy

[MNfisher]

I agree with y'all! 110%

[tnpondmanager]

I had the same thought as you guys when I saw that photo and where it was taken (not by the water). I realize that technically keeping it is legal, but to me it's just a little on the ridiculous side to keep such a rare fish like that these days, when there are other species that eat better (not to mention smaller fish of the same species), and as another person noted, a replica can be made that looks as good as a mount. Just no good reason, in my opinion, to keep a fish like that.

[Alphahawk]

Williamsport Facebook page says he is having fish mounted.....certainly his right but sad really.


Regards

[Travis C.]

Another thought on that, if he'd called Bass Pro they would have came picked the fish up, gave him a replica, put it in their tank and given him gift cards for that fish.

I forget all the weight break downs on fish in the tank but I do know if it's a largemouth over 10 and smallmouth over 6 will qualify. My cousin's husband put a 10lber in there back before the flood and that was what they offered him in getting the fish.

[woodyntn]

I agree with everyone that it would have been better and smarter to release this beauty. I know it was his decision to make but if I had the fortune of catching this fish or one like it, I would certainly release it after loading my phone up with pics. Just so that the next person that came along like myself that has never caught a Largemouth over 2lbs could get the thrill of a lifetime. Especially if it was a kid. Our 12 year old loves fishing as much as I do and I'd love to see him catch one like this. On a funny note, he lost a brand new lure last year, on the first cast, to a big fish at Williamsport and I showed him the pic of this fish and told him it was the one that took his lure.
At least this pic gives him and I hope for exciting times at Williamsport this year.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[SAMBOLIE]

Another thought on that, if he'd called Bass Pro they would have came picked the fish up, gave him a replica, put it in their tank and given him gift cards for that fish.

I forget all the weight break downs on fish in the tank but I do know if it's a largemouth over 10 and smallmouth over 6 will qualify. My cousin's husband put a 10lber in there back before the flood and that was what they offered him in getting the fish.


I like that tank. I always make a few casts before I buy new lures, rods, reels, etc. Try before you buy.

[blink]

It really hurts me to see this too.
Shoot, it hurts me to see any bass over 3 or 4 lbs kept.

On a lighter note, i need to get out to Williamsport and toss some big baits!
I will definitely photograph and release any bass i catch!