Apparently, you can’t eat your bass and have the state record, too. At least that’s the case when Vermont angler Adrew Oestringer recently caught a phenomenal 7-pound, 6-ounce bass that was 9 ounces heavier than the official Vermont record for smallmouths.
The almost two-foot-long bronzeback was caught by Oestringer from Lower Symes Pond, located near the town of Ryegate. He caught the bass while fishing the pond from a kayak.
Oestringer weighed the bass on a hand-held scale and had a photo made of himself holding the fish, according to Vermont fisheries officials. But he didn’t have the bass officially weighed on certified scales before submitting record-fish paperwork to Vermont authorities to verify the catch as a new state record smallmouth.
“It’s rare but not unheard of for anglers who plan to keep a nice fish for dinner to grab an unofficial weight at home, realize their catch might have been a record, and reach out [to us],” said Shawn Good, a Vermont fisheries biologist in a press notice from the state. “That’s exactly what Andrew did. Even though Fish & Wildlife can’t accept the weight from a non-certified scale for our official record books, we can all agree this new ‘unofficial record’ is one heck of a fish story.”
The current Vermont record smallmouth was caught in 2003 by Issac Spalding from Lake Eden, located in north-central Vermont near the town of Craftsbury.
In a press statement from Vermont, Oestriniger said, “It’s a dream come true for me. There is no better place to fish than Vermont. Smallies, trout, pickerel, pike – Vermont has endless opportunities.”
Small water kayak fishing has boundless opportunities for anglers in Vermont, say state officials.
“Andrew’s catch certainly underscores the fact that you don’t need a big boat or fancy equipment to catch fish, even trophy fish,” added Shawn Good. “There’s tons of ways to get on the water and have some success and fun.
“Small lakes and ponds are the overlooked gems of bass fishing in Vermont. “The end of summer right through the fall is some of the hottest bass fishing of the year – so never say never. Now’s the time!”
