Ryegate Produced A State Record, If Only
By Gary Moore
If Barnet resident Andrew Oestringer had brought his bass to a certified scale before filleting the fish, he would probably hold a new state record according to Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Shawn Good.
Upon learning of the trophy smallmouth bass, I called Good, the State Record Fish Program and Master Angler Program administrator. He seemed disappointed that the fish could not be officially listed as the state record.
“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,” he said. “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 nearly two-foot smallmouth bass from Ryegate’s Lower Symes Pond tipped Oestringer’s personal fishing scale at 7 lbs. and 6 oz. That makes Oestringer’s bass a full 10 oz. heavier than the current state record smallmouth.
Oestringer caught the smallmouth while fishing from a kayak.
“Andrew’s catch certainly underscores the fact that you don’t need a big boat or fancy equipment to catch fish, even trophy fish,” said Good. “There’s tons of ways to get on the water and have some success and fun.”
Good was happy to point out that Oestringer’s smallmouth was not the only big bass from an inland water entered to the Master Angler Program this season.
Earlier last month Fair Haven Middle & High School student James Lenox landed a 7 lbs. largemouth bass from Lake Bomoseen. Lenox’s bass does not approach Vermont’s record 10 lbs. 4 oz. largemouth, caught in Lake Dunmore in 1988. But according to Good, Lenox’s catch is still one of the best Vermont largemouths caught this year.
Even more impressive is the fact that Lenox’ fish is a youth entry to the Master Angler Program. Youth can qualify for the program with smaller fish than adult anglers. Even so, Lenox’s youth entry is bigger than all but two bass caught by adult anglers this year: a 7 lbs. 13 oz. largemouth from Neal Pond caught by Joshua Curtis, and a 7 lbs. 8 oz. largemouth from Lake Champlain caught by Roy Gangloff.