Kansas State Record Redear Sunfish

Redear Sunfish Illustration | credit: USFWS

Great Bend resident, Jason Cavender was the last angler to set a Kansas state record for the 2023 fishing season.

Cavender landed a 1.725 pound redear sunfish while fishing at Cheyenne Bottoms Sportsman’s Club in Great Bend. 

The record-breaking sunfish measured a whopping 12 inches in girth and 12.125 inches long.

Cavender’s catch beats out the previous redear sunfish record set in 1995 by Larry Fox of Scott City. Fox caught a 1.69 pound redear from Finney Wildlife Area that measured 11.75 inches long.

The redear sunfish is the largest species of sunfish in North America. Also known as shellcracker and other nicknames, redears can attain weights of 5 pounds or more.

For more on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com

Lake Erie Fishing

Lake Trout

Lake Erie is one of North America's top freshwater fishing destinations. Anglers fish for an array of species in the main lake and its many tributaries.

Lake Erie Facts

Lake Erie sustains populations of yellow perch, walleye, lake trout, steelhead, brown trout, coho salmon, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill sunfish, musky, northern pike, and other species.

Lake Erie is the shallowest of the five Great Lakes. The lake is bordered by Ontario Canada and the American states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.

With a surface area of 9,900 square miles and more than 850 miles of shoreline, the lake is a fishermen's paradise.

Wind and weather conditions on Lake Erie can create a seiche, an oscillating wave which can be several feet high. Seiches can cause water levels to fluctuate, especially around Buffalo, NY.

Yellow Perch

The yellow perch is Lake Erie's most popular panfish. Lake Erie anglers catch yellow perch with live baits as well as artificial lures. Peak fishing for yellow perch usually occurs during spring spawning runs. In the fall, anglers target yellow perch as the move down creeks and into Lake Erie. During the winter season, Lake Erie fishermen catch yellow perch by ice fishing.

Lake Trout

The lake trout is one of the most popular gamefish in Lake Erie. The largest member of the char family, lake trout can weigh 60 pounds or more.

Lake Erie Ice Fishing

Yellow Perch

Lake Erie is one of the most popular ice fishing destinations in the Northeast. The yellow perch is by far the most sought-after fish by Lake Erie ice fishermen.

Ice fishing enthusiasts also catch walleye, musky, pike, lake trout, crappie, bluegill, and other species.

The most basic form of ice fishing on Lake Erie consists of bottom fishing with small baits or slowly jigging small lures.

In addition to hand-held rods, some anglers fish unattended rigs, known as "tip-ups". These simple devices are designed to hook fish and provide the angler with some indication when a strike occurs.

Although simple fishing strategies remain popular on the lake, a number of complex ice fishing techniques have gained popularity in recent years. For electronics enthusiasts, there are fishfinder units (sonar), underwater video cameras, GPS devices, and other equipment.

Commercial Fisheries

In recent decades, the Lake Erie has sustained a variety of commercial fisheries in both Canadian and American waters. Walleye and yellow perch are typically the most important species for American fishermen. Important Canadian fisheries include walleye, yellow perch, white bass, smelt, and lake whitefish.

Atlantic Sturgeon Facts

 

Atlantic Sturgeon

Anglers sometimes encounter strange creatures in the rivers, streams, and backwaters of the Atlantic Coast. From coastal bays to shallow streams, Atlantic sturgeon are rarely seen but sometimes present.

Sturgeon Facts

Fossil records of sturgeon date back to the Cretaceous period. There are 25 different species of sturgeon worldwide.

Nine species of sturgeon are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. They are considered one of the world’s most endangered groups of species.

There are five distinct population segments of Atlantic sturgeon in the United States. Four of these segments are considered endangered. The other is considered threatened.

Adult Atlantic sturgeon typically reach lengths of six to eight feet and weigh 200 pounds or more. In Canada, individuals up to 14 feet long and 800 pounds have been recorded.

The Atlantic sturgeon can be distinguished from other sturgeon species by its long, narrow snout, relatively small mouth, and four barbels. Adults are olive- green to blue-black above, with white undersides.

Atlantic sturgeon can live 60 years or more. Sturgeons have declined due to overfishing, water pollution, vessel strikes, habitat loss, and other factors.

Atlantic sturgeon are listed as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in multiple coastal estuaries.

Atlantic Sturgeon restoration programs have been launched, although much work remains.

Atlantic sturgeon have anadromous lifestyles. Adult sturgeon migrate up rivers to spawn in areas with hard bottoms.

After hatching, young sturgeon live in freshwater rivers for several years. Eventually, juvenile fish migrate out to sea.

Researchers are learning more about Atlantic sturgeon by tracking their movements using acoustic telemetry. Telemetry uses sound to relay information across open space. Scientists surgically insert special sound-emitting tags.

Virginia State Record Blue Catfish (Archery)

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources recently announced that the Virginia state record for archery blue catfish has been broken.

Jason Emmel from Louisa arrowed a 66-pound, 5-ounce blue catfish from the Pamunkey River for the new state record.

The fish measured 3 feet, 6 inches and had a girth of 35 inches. After biologist verification and review by the State Record Committee, Emmel’s catch was certified and is recognized as the current Virginia Archery State Record Blue Catfish.

The previous record was held by William Bates, Jr. with a 62-pound, 4-ounce blue catfish captured in 2021 from Occoquan Bay in Fairfax.

In Virginia, bowfishing is one of several forms of alternative fishing methods that are increasing in popularity.

North Dakota State Record Buffalo (Bowfishing)

Buffalo Fish | credit: USFWS

In May 2022, a bow fisherman from Bismarck set a new North Dakota bow/spear state record for bigmouth buffalo.

Mitch Estabrook took a 60-pound, 8 ounce buffalo by bow from Heart Butte Reservoir.

Estabrook's fish broke the previous record by 3 pounds, taken at Heart Butte Reservoir in 2017.

Buffalo are a native fish sometimes confused with nonnative and invasive common carp.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department records indicate that Estabrook’s fish is the largest weighed in the state that was not a paddlefish or pallid sturgeon.

Buffalo fish are identified by their heavyset bodies, large scales, and blue-green to bronze coloration.

They have relatively large, forward-opening mouth for a member of the sucker family.

Bigmouth buffalo are the largest member of the sucker family.

Buffalo are commonly mistaken for, but not related to common carp.

The species is not commonly caught by anglers, but are a primary target for those who bow fish.

Recent studies have shown bigmouth buffalo can live to very old ages, with some fish over 100 years old recently documented in neighboring Minnesota.

source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department