sponsored by
Zeiner's Angler Supply
The Kansas Angler Online
and Swim Tail Lures |
New Kaw lake record flathead
hooked
 March
12, 2008 - 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.
(Photo Info - 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. Photo Credit: wildlifedepartment.com)
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
75 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.
Back to
Zeiner's Angler Supply | Kansas
Angler Online |
Swim Tail Lures
|