Irecently received an email asking me if an 8-pound largemouth bass was a big deal or not. My immediate reaction was any freshwater fish at 8 pounds is a big deal.
Any 8-pound 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 21, Kevin got into a fight after school with a big mouth. Kevin hooked into a monster of a fish and landed the 25-inch, 8-pound bass after an intense battle between man and fish.
Kevin landed the monster using fiveinch yamasenko bait with an All Star Select rod and Pflueger baitcast reel, which is his weapon of choice.
To confirm this was a trophy fish, I logged on to the Internet website at www. state.nj.us/dep/fgw/recfish-fresh.htm. The New Jersey state record was a 10-pound, 14-ounce largemouth bass caught in 1980 by a Robert Eisele.
An 8-pound largemouth bass was caught by Kevin Thompson of Manalapan on April 21 at a Manalapan golf course lake, possibly setting a junior state record. Kevin used 5-inch Yamasenko bait and an All Star Select rod with a Pflueger baitcast reel. 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 New Jersey 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 freshwater and marine fish that are not 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!