Two Personal Bests

Type: Nontidal
Region: Central
Location: Loch Raven

While shore fishing for pickerel at Loch Raven late Friday, December 5th in a 40 degree drizzle, I was totally shocked that a lunker largemouth hit my delicate fly spinner in a Micky Finn pattern. When I first saw that big football shape rise to the surface, I knew I was about to try and land a career bass! A hasty measure of his length (21") and girth (17") placed the fish conservatively at 6 pounds, doubling the weight of my previous best bass. I got this quick photo before I released him to grow even bigger for the next lucky angler he'll encounter.

It was only on the way home that I realized I should have been more accurate with my measurement in order to receive a Citation Certificate from the DNR, since that length for a largemouth is 21".

Amazingly, the next day, Saturday, Dec. 6th, again around dusk in a steady rain this time, using the same lure, I did get a hit, a surface strike which I actually saw, from my target species, the chain pickerel. This too looked like it was going to be a career catch. It was indeed my biggest pickerel ever, weighing in at 2.64 pounds and measuring 23 1/2 inches, but just shy of the Citation Certificate length of 24 inches.

I never thought I'd shatter not one but two personal records and two near-citations on a bitter gloomy December weekend. Sure glad I brought the camera!