Thomas Russell Jr. with his 8-pound, 6-ounce Nw York state-record smallmouth bass. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Russell/via DEC)
June 29, 2022
By Game & Fish Staff
The opening day of New York's bass-harvest season was one to remember for an angler who now owns the state’s smallmouth bass record.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that the 8-pound, 6-ounce smallmouth caught June 15 at Cayuga Lake by Thomas Russell Jr. of Albion, is a record, breaking the previous mark by two ounces. The former record was shared by catches at Lake Erie in 1995, and St. Lawrence River in 2016, the DEC said.
"Smallmouth bass are one of New York's most popular freshwater sportfish and it's exciting to share the great news of Mr. Russell's record-breaking catch," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "New York's Finger Lakes are truly an angler's paradise, providing exceptional fishing opportunities for a variety of sportfish.”
This is the second state record set this year. On May 8, the state record for channel catfish was broken when Bailey Williams of Watertown reeled in a 35-pound, 12-ounce channel catfish from the Black River in Jefferson County.
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For additional information on New York's Angler Achievement Awards Program, call (518) 402-8891 or email fwfish@dec.ny.gov.
Mississippi: 3 Salt Records Reported John Wright (left, Blackberry Rosefish), Brandon Powell (top right, Unicorn Filefish), Harley Havard (bottom right, Bigeye) set Mississippi fishing records in June. (Photos courtesy MS Department of Marine Resources) The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources certified three state fishing records for the month of June:
John Wright of Madison, Miss., set the record with conventional tackle for Blackbelly Rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus) with a fish weighing 2 pounds, 11.2 ounces. Harley Havard of Lucedale set the all-tackle record for Bigeye (Priacanthus arenatus) with a fish weighing 2 pounds, 11.52 ounces. Brandon Powell of Vancleave also set an all-tackle record for Unicorn Filefish (Aluterus monoceros) with a fish weighing 5 pounds, 9.8 ounces. Visit the DMR online at dmr.ms.gov .
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Missouri Bow Angler Sets Sunfish Mark Andrew Hunt of Hollister arrowed this state-record 2-pound, 2-ounce redear sunfish. (Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation) The Missouri Department of Conservation certified a new alternative-methods state record for redear sunfish. On his first trip bow fishing as part of his 21st birthday celebration, Andrew Hunt of Hollister shot a state-record 2-pound, 2-ounce redear sunfish at Lake Taneycomo on June 4. That beat the previous record by an ounce.
“I got up to the front of the boat and actually thought it was a big shad,” Hunt said in an MDC new release. “I reeled it in and said, ‘Well, that’s not a shad!’ The guide saw it and said, ‘I think you just got a record!’” Click for more information on Missouri record fish .
Wyoming Angler Breaks Own Record Bobo, 34, of Casper, broke his own state record for longnose sucker. (Photo courtesy Wyoming Game and Fish) Wyoming Game & Fish reports that Casper, Wy., angler Christopher Bobo broke his own state record for longnose sucker with a 2-pound, 11.3-ounce fish caught at the North Platte River in May. He previously broke the record in 2021 with a fish weighing 2-4.5, also from the North Platte River.
