Post by Woody Williams on Jul 25, 2006 17:08:11 GMT -5
New Indiana state record spotted bass
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Terre Haute man boats state's top spot
A Terre Haute man has broken one of Indiana's longest standing fish records. Larry Hinesley Jr.'s 5-pound, 5-ounce fish recently topped John William Pio's 31-year-old, 5-pound, 1-ounce spotted bass record.
On May 24, Hinesley, of Terre Haute, was fishing a private lake in Vigo County when Indiana's largest recorded spotted bass took his night crawler bait.
Hinesley saw the fish before he cast to it. "I threw every lure in my box but it wouldn't take any of them," Hinesley said. That's when he switched to a live night crawler. The big bass couldn't resist, and struck.
Hinesley tired the fish with an ultra-light Ugly Stick fishing pole strung with 10-pound-test Spider Wire. "It had my drag running like 'whirrrrr' and my rod was bent over double," Hinesley said of the fight. "I was talking to my line the whole time saying 'don't break, don't break.'" The fight lasted five or six minutes.
Hinesley became familiar with spotted bass only three weeks before his date with fishing history when he caught a 3-pound fish that a friend identified as a spotted bass, instead of the more common largemouth bass. Surprised, Hinesley researched spotted bass, including the former state record.
He began to suspect that a new Indiana record was lurking in the lake he normally fished. At 9:30 a.m. on the big day, Hinesley was fishing by himself when he saw the bruiser.
After boating the 5-plus-pounder he called his brother-in-law, who later identified the fish as a huge spotted bass. Hinesley had it weighed on certified scales at the IGA on Locust Street in Terre Haute.
Spotted bass, also known as Kentucky bass or Kentucky spotted bass, are frequently mistaken for other types of bass. According to the book Fishes of the Central United States, the spotted bass was once widely believed to be a hybrid between largemouth and smallmouth bass. Not until 1927 did ichthyologists recognize the species as distinct.
Spotted bass are most successful in waters that are somewhat warmer and siltier than those that support native populations of smallmouth. The fish will sometimes out-compete smallmouth bass in degraded streams.
Photo of Hinesley's record fish:
www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/bass.htm
Indiana record fish factoids:
www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/recordfish_factoids.htm
Indiana Record Fish:
www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/recordfish_list.htm
How to enter a record fish:
www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/record_program.htm
How to identify a spotted bass:
www.takemefishing.org/detailfish.aspx?id=1013
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Media Contact,
Ben Shadley,
317-234-1150
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Terre Haute man boats state's top spot
A Terre Haute man has broken one of Indiana's longest standing fish records. Larry Hinesley Jr.'s 5-pound, 5-ounce fish recently topped John William Pio's 31-year-old, 5-pound, 1-ounce spotted bass record.
On May 24, Hinesley, of Terre Haute, was fishing a private lake in Vigo County when Indiana's largest recorded spotted bass took his night crawler bait.
Hinesley saw the fish before he cast to it. "I threw every lure in my box but it wouldn't take any of them," Hinesley said. That's when he switched to a live night crawler. The big bass couldn't resist, and struck.
Hinesley tired the fish with an ultra-light Ugly Stick fishing pole strung with 10-pound-test Spider Wire. "It had my drag running like 'whirrrrr' and my rod was bent over double," Hinesley said of the fight. "I was talking to my line the whole time saying 'don't break, don't break.'" The fight lasted five or six minutes.
Hinesley became familiar with spotted bass only three weeks before his date with fishing history when he caught a 3-pound fish that a friend identified as a spotted bass, instead of the more common largemouth bass. Surprised, Hinesley researched spotted bass, including the former state record.
He began to suspect that a new Indiana record was lurking in the lake he normally fished. At 9:30 a.m. on the big day, Hinesley was fishing by himself when he saw the bruiser.
After boating the 5-plus-pounder he called his brother-in-law, who later identified the fish as a huge spotted bass. Hinesley had it weighed on certified scales at the IGA on Locust Street in Terre Haute.
Spotted bass, also known as Kentucky bass or Kentucky spotted bass, are frequently mistaken for other types of bass. According to the book Fishes of the Central United States, the spotted bass was once widely believed to be a hybrid between largemouth and smallmouth bass. Not until 1927 did ichthyologists recognize the species as distinct.
Spotted bass are most successful in waters that are somewhat warmer and siltier than those that support native populations of smallmouth. The fish will sometimes out-compete smallmouth bass in degraded streams.
Photo of Hinesley's record fish:
www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/bass.htm
Indiana record fish factoids:
www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/recordfish_factoids.htm
Indiana Record Fish:
www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/recordfish_list.htm
How to enter a record fish:
www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/recordfish/record_program.htm
How to identify a spotted bass:
www.takemefishing.org/detailfish.aspx?id=1013
----------------
Media Contact,
Ben Shadley,
317-234-1150
---------------