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Steve McLarty, and his 8 pound 3 oz, Smallmouth
bass from Lake Eufaula, OK |
March 2, 2006
For the third time in four years, an Oklahoma angler has broken
the state record for smallmouth bass.
Steve McLarty now holds the record with an 8-pound, 3-ounce
smallmouth bass he caught on March 4 on Lake Eufaula in east central
Oklahoma.
McLarty, who lives in Broken Arrow, was competing in a Fishers of
Men bass tournament when he hooked the big fish in a quiet, rocky
cove.
“We actually pulled into the area on the way to another spot first
thing in the morning. I was using a jerk bait and was hoping to
catch a good smallmouth, but I certainly did not expect to catch one
this big,” McLarty said.
The record fish measured 23.5 inches long and was 19 inches in
girth. McLarty was using a Shimano rod and a G-Loomis reel spooled
with 10-pound test line.
The previous record smallmouth holder was Karl Council, also of
Broken Arrow, who caught an 8-pound, 1-ounce smallmouth bass in
March of 2005 on W.R Holway Lake in northeastern Oklahoma.
While he may hold the bragging rights to the state record
smallmouth, McLarty did not place in the top three of the tournament
and the big fish award went to a 9-pound largemouth bass caught by
another tournament angler.
“I heard the big largemouth was caught just about 100 yards away.
That is just my luck to catch a state record smallmouth and not even
win the big fish award. But I am certainly not complaining though,
it is a real honor to catch a fish like this,” McLarty said.
Eufaula Lake, in east central Oklahoma, was first stocked with
smallmouth bass in 1992 according to Garland Wright, central region
fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation. The lake was stocked with a reservoir-strain
smallmouth bass that originated in Tennessee and Eufaula is now home
to a self-sustaining population. The sprawling reservoir has a
growing reputation as a first class smallmouth bass fishing
destination.
In addition to Eufaula, Oklahoma is home to several outstanding
smallmouth fisheries including Texoma, Skiatook, Lawtonka and Broken
Bow lakes.
For a complete list of record fish and the procedures regarding
certifying state record fish, consult the “2006 Oklahoma Fishing
Guide.” If you think you may have hooked a record fish it is
important that you weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State Department of
Agriculture certified scale and the weight is verified by a Wildlife
Department employee.
Check out the other
Oklahoma State Fishing Records |