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The Kansas Angler Online
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Lake Record Fish Program to
recognize Oklahoma anglers and fish
January 25, 2008 - Anglers who reel in a
monster fish from select Oklahoma lakes could find themselves
going in the record books, even if their fish is not a state
record.Feb. 1 marks the kick-off of the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation's Lake Record Fish Program, which will
recognize anglers who catch a fish that qualifies as a record
setter for the reservoir in which it was caught. Twelve major
lakes and 13 species of popular Oklahoma fish will be included
initially.
"The Lake Record Fish Program could change
the way we tell fishing stories around the bait shop from now
on," said Jeff Boxrucker, assistant chief of fisheries for
the Wildlife Department. "It's one of the most exciting
things to come along in quite some time. This is a great way
to recognize anglers, big fish and even the lakes that produce
them. We're very excited to see the state's anglers begin filling
up the books with lake records. The program is also an outstanding
way to generate even more interest in fishing."
Though the program was established as a way to
serve anglers and recognize significant fish, officials with
the Wildlife Department said there is a fisheries management
benefit to the program as well.
"From a management standpoint, the Lake Record
Fish Program will serve as an indicator of trophy fish production
in our state's lakes," said Greg Summers, fisheries research
laboratory supervisor for the Wildlife Department.Though Summers
said the program has room to grow, lakes initially enrolled in
the lake records program are all over 500 acres and include Broken
Bow, Canton , Eufaula, Ft. Cobb , Grand, Kaw, Keystone, Sardis,
Skiatook, Tenkiller, Texoma and Thunderbird.According to Summers,
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, or vendors. The lake
record keeper may then enter the fish into an automated database
via the Internet.
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."Anyone interested will
be able to use an easily-operated search feature through the
Wildlife Department's Web site to view all kinds of interesting
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," Summers said.
All past and current state record fish are registered
in the Lake Record Fish Program as records for their respective
lakes.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 included
to avoid a rush of potential yet easily broken records early
in the program's inception.
For more information about the new Lake Record
Fish Program or for contact information for lake record keepers,
log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
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