I recently received an e-mail asking me if an 8lb largemouth bass was a big deal or not. My immediate reaction was any freshwater fish at 8lbs is a big deal. Any 8lb largemouth bass caught in Manalapan by a 13 year old is an even bigger deal. Kevin Thompson is an avid fisherman from Manalapan; he rides his bicycle to fish local ponds and lakes after school as much as possible. On April 21st 20010 Kevin got into a fight after school with a bigmouth. Kevin hooked into a monster of a fish and landed the 25 inch 8lb largemouth bass after an intense battle between man and fish. Kevin landed the monster using a 5” yamasenko bait with an All-star Select rod and Fluger bait caster reel which is his weapon of choice.
To confirm this was a trophy fish I logged onto
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/recfish-fresh.htm . The NJ state record was a 10 lb 14 Oz largemouth bass caught in 1980 by a Robert Eisele. Unfortunately Kevin did not get an official weigh in for a possible junior category but he did get plenty of pictures. I did advise him to record the fish with the NJ state Division of Fish and Wildlife's Skillful Angler Awards Program. The program is for any fish which may not be of record size but is of sufficient size and weight to have tested your skill and/or be of "bragging" size.
The Skillful Angler Awards Program is designed to supplement the Record Fish listing. It honors the many anglers who catch both freshwater and marine fish which aren't of record size but are impressive and worthy of recognition. Qualifying anglers receive a signed certificate attesting to their achievement along with a bronze pin suitable to be worn on a fishing hat, jacket, etc. At the end of each year, special recognition is given to the anglers who caught the largest fish in each of the species categories. Kevin’s goal is to be on a fishing team when he goes to college. Kids like Kevin have a true love for fishing and he is one of the 40 million Americans who love to fish. Food for thought, if you Google the word baseball you will get 130 million hits, Google fishing and you get 143 million hits.
Fish On!
Ron Nuzzolo
Greater Media News
