Fishing can simultaneously be seen as a compulsive plunge into the unknown, a means to exhibit mastery over nature and a test of self-reliance.
So it might follow that fishing loses some allure when results become inevitable and predictable. For instance, anglers who routinely reel in daily limits of walleye
on Lake Erie might come to question what’s the big deal when just about everyone else can do the same.Some people, though not surely all, tire of shooting fish in a barrel, so to speak. While dining on caught fish probably encourages continued interest, anglers can dine on many other things without as much effort or expense.
Granted, fishing for even the hardcore can remain fun. Many aspects related to family, friends, camaraderie and gamesmanship
make for long-lasting enjoyment.
Occasionally, too, a fish might surprise a fisher by showing up where it’s supposed to be scarce, or by its frenzied willingness to take bait or, perhaps most importantly, by its size. Herein lies hope and challenge – that in plying a mysterious place something unusual and remarkable and perhaps worthy of a testimonial mount will emerge.
Jaret Stevens of Pioneer in northwest Ohio was gifted a rare reward May 18 at a farm pond in Williams County. Using a redworm for bait, Stevens latched onto and landed a green sunfish that appeared unusually large.
The fish measured 11.45 inches, which Stevens realized surpassed the standing record of 11 inches. Stevens told the publication Farm World that he figured his catch might also surpass the record in weight, which is the sole official determinant of Ohio record fish.
And that it did.
An Ohio Division of Wildlife fish biologist confirmed the identity of a green sunfish, and a certified scale registered its weight to be 1.35 pounds, establishing a state record. The previous best was a 1.2-pound specimen caught by SueAnn Newswanger on May 3, 2018, in a Richland County pond.
The green sunfish’s legitimacy settled, Stevens was notified last month by the sanctioning Fish Records Committee of the Outdoor Writers of Ohio that the result of his May encounter with the unexpected was a state record now his.
Carp update
Apparently, work on a $1.15-billion project to prevent the invasive Asian carp from advancing into the Great Lakes near Chicago has been halted at an important chokepoint on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Illinois.
The work stoppage stems from the suspension of federal funding by the administration of President Donald Trump. The White House said the project is undergoing a review.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS: More on Ohio hunting and fishing
Much ado has been made since the escape into the Mississippi River drainage by several species of carp introduced into the United States by fish propagators.
Two of the invasive species, silver and bighead carps, have proved particularly troublesome after their numbers exploded in large sections of rivers, threatening native species and expanding their range to the brink of the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes are home to a significant commercial and recreational fishery valued at billions of dollars annually. Given the potential size of bighead carp at about 100 pounds and the overwhelming ubiquity of silver carp, it’s feared their introduction into the lakes would quickly spread and devastate native fish stocks.
Virtually all of the pathways that might permit a carp invasion into the lakes have been blocked. Still, a potential gateway continues to exist near Chicago, where a shipping connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi drainage remains.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio angler catches record green sunfish, committee determines
