Howard Neal Craig with record skipjack.
(A photo of the record sauger is not available)
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Two state record fish were caught recently from the Ohio River, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
A state record sauger was caught by David Vance of Portland, Ohio. Vance caught the 22.50-inch, 5.06-pound fish from the Ohio River in Jackson County on March 20, 2012. He caught the record sauger while bass fishing using a Mimic Minnow across from the mouth of Mill Creek.
Vance's catch establishes a new West Virginia record for weight. The previous weight record for sauger was a 4.75-pound fish caught by Steve Powell from the Ohio River in 1985. Vance's fish, however, does not best Powell's fish for length, which retains the length record for sauger at 23 inches.
A state record skipjack was caught by Howard Neal Craig of Poca, W.Va. Craig caught the 19.1-inch, 2.50-pound fish while fishing at the R.C. Byrd Lock and Dam tailwater on the Ohio River in Mason County April 13, 2012. Craig was using a jig while fishing from the shore.
Craig's skipjack establishes a new West Virginia record for length, just exceeding the 19.01-inch skipjack that J.R. Coleman caught last year on the Ohio River. The state skipjack weight record remains a 2.61-pound fish caught by Steve Skeens from the Kanawha River in 2002.
Anglers who believe that they have caught a state record fish should check the record listing in the 2012 Fish Regulations brochure. The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting their catch. This information is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov
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