Fishing records are made to broken, but not all of them are so easy to crack. Youth anglers Trace Jansen of Buda, Cade Childress of Pickton and Jesse Roberson of Goldthwaithe own a few Texas freshwater titles that may be pretty tough to topple.
In Feb. 2021, Jansen was fishing with friends at Lake Travis near Austin when he caught a 15.32-pound largemouth bass. Jansen, only 15 at the time, said he saw the fish hanging around a spawning bed near a boat dock in about three feet of water. He fooled it with a wacky-rigged Senko and subsequently loaned it to the Toyota ShareLunker program.
Childress, 12, was fishing at Lake Tawakoni in March of 2021 when he landed a lunker of a different kind, a blue catfish with a serious weight problem. Childress’ fat cat weighed a whopping 72.4 pounds on certified scales. It gobbled up bloody chunk of gizzard shad drifted in about 22 feet of water.
Roberson’s prize catch from March 2006 is another great example to illustrate that age is no barrier when it comes to getting the really big bite.
Roberson, just 10 at the time, was fishing in a 40-acre private lake in Mills County in when he tossed a Texas-rigged Baby Brush Hog into shallow water and reeled in a man-size bass weighing 15.54 pounds.
The lifetime catches earned all three anglers a long list of records and awards through Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Angler Recognition Program.
To wit:
Jansen’s fish is the Junior Angler state record for largemouths reeled in on public waters by anglers under 17. The previous record of 13.68 pounds was set in 2019. It also crushed the Junior Angler lake record of 6.33 pounds set in 2016 and beat out the former Lake Travis water body record for all ages (14.21 pounds) that was set in 1993.
The 50.75-inch blue cat Childress caught while fishing with guide James Evans set four different angling records, according to Natalie Goldstrohm, who heads up the ARP for TPWD.
Goldstrohm said the fish is the Junior Angler state record for blue catfish, Junior Angler water body record for Tawakoni, Junior Angler state catch and release record for blue catfish and the Junior Angler catch and release record for Tawakoni blue cats.
Roberson’s storybook catch has stood as Junior Angler state record for private waters for 16 years. Additionally, it is the heaviest Legacy Lunker ever loaned to the Toyota ShareLunker program by a youth angler since the program’s inception in 1986. It currently ranks as the No. 48 heaviest Texas bass of all-time.
Roberson’s trophy run didn’t stop there. The young angler also won the Sharelunker Angler of the Year title in 2006-07 for turning in the heaviest bass of the season. He took home a bunch of neat prizes and other goodies, including a Texas lifetime fishing license that at the time was valued at $600.
Around for decades, TPWD’s Angler Recognition Program isn’t just about recognizing anglers who catch state and water body records. The program recognizes anglers of all ages in a variety of categories for all sort sorts of angling accomplishments on public and private waters, alike.
Though some accomplishments may seem insignificant, they could be especially meaningful in the eyes of a youngster who reels in their first catfish, bluegill or crappie. Or a beginning angler who lands a 20-inch spotted sea trout or 15-inch white bass.
Documented properly, such catches can earn anglers a framable certificate under the ARP’s First Fish Award or Big Fish Award categories.
Giving credit where credit is due is the name of the game with the ARP. And plenty of credit is typically dished out over the course of the year. Goldstrohm says the program has received an average of 700 applications a year since 2012.
TPWD maintains state and water body weight records for all sorts fresh and saltwater game and non-game fish taken using legal means and methods. There are records in a variety of categories such rod and reel, fly fishing, bow fishing, all ages and junior angler in public and private waters, alike.
Additionally, there are state and water body “catch and release” records for public waters by rod and reel and fly fishing in two categories, all ages and junior angler.
Anglers applying for state, water body or big awards should provide as much photo documentation of their catch as possible, along with a completed application from the department website, tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/programs/fishrecords/.
Applications should be submitted within 60 days of the catch. Applications for state catch and release records and state weight records require the signature of a notary public. The 60-day limit does not apply for catches recognized as world records by the International Game Fish Association.
If weighing is required, the fish must be weighed on a scale that has been certified for accuracy. If the scale is not certified at the time the fish is weighed, the angler has 30 days to attain the proper certification.
One of the most popular recognition categories with beginning and youth anglers is the First Fish Award. This award is intended commemorate an angler’s first fish, regardless of age.
Another popular award is the Outstanding Angler Award. This award is available for the angler whose catch doesn’t meet the requirements of other award categories, but still deserves some recognition.
One of tallest awards an angler can earn is the Elite Angler Award. This is a one-time award given to fishermen who catch trophy class fish of five different species.
Elite Angler eligibility hinges on the angler earning five freshwater or saltwater Big Fish Awards. The Big Fish Awards are based strictly on length. The bars are set pretty high, as they should be.
Check out tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/programs/ to learn more about the TPWD Angler Recognition Program or research state or water body records for a variety of fish species.
Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.
Sidebar
ARP Award Categories
Records by Length
* State Catch and Release: For the catch and live release of the longest fish of a qualifying species from Texas public waters.
* Catch and Release Water Body: For the catch and live release of the longest fish of a qualifying species from a public water body.
* Rod & Reel: Longest fish of a species caught on rod/reel.
* Fly Fishing: Longest fish of a species caught by fly fishing with artificial flies.
Weight Records
* State Records for Public Waters: Rod/reel, fly fishing, bow fishing and other legal means and methods, excluding nets.
* State Records for Private Waters: Rod/reel, fly fishing and bow fishing.
* Public Water Body: Rod/reel, fly fishing, bow fishing and all-tackle.
Other Awards
* First Fish: For the first fish caught by an angler of any age.
* Elite Angler: A lifetime achievement award for catching five different trophy class fish in the freshwater or saltwater divisions.
Outdoors Briefs
Lady anglers grab top spot in SETX event
Cutline for photo (2 girls with bass) Jasper High School lady anglers Kileigh Isom (left) and Savannah Landers reeled in five bass weighing 23.97 pounds to top 474 teams in the Southeast Texas High School Bass Fishing Association team tournament held March 19 on Sam Rayburn. Courtesy Photo)
By Matt Williams
Outdoors Writer
A tip of the hat to lady anglers Kileigh Isom and Savannah Landers, both of Jasper. These two chicks can fish.
The Jasper High School teens weighed in a five-fish limit of 23.97 pounds to top 473 other teams in the Southeast Texas High School Bass Fishing Association team tournament held March 19 on Sam Rayburn. Second place went to Tanner Jordon and Logan Killough with 23.86.
Landers, 18, is a senior; Isom is a 17-year-old junior. Their team captain, Bryan Landers, said they caught the winning weight targeting drains in 12-17 feet water leading to spawning flats using Carolina rigged creature baits. Their limit was anchored by midday 9.07 pounder caught by Isom.
SETX President Stephanie Ryder says this isn’t first time female anglers have risen to the top in one of the organization’s sanctioned events. According to Ryder, Buna High School angler Emily Walker fished solo and won a SETX team event in 2014.
Credit: Source link
