Another Bass Record Bites the Dust: DE Angler Lands 10-Pound Largemouth

Hot on the heels of a new Sooner State record largemouth comes word that Deleware's largemouth bass record has fallen.

From this story on wired2fish.com:

When James D. Hitchens of Georgetown set out yesterday for his favorite Sussex County fishing hole, he planned to catch largemouth bass, baiting his line with a live shiner minnow. However, he didn’t expect to set a new state record with the big bass that took his bait. “I’ve never had one over eight pounds,” Hitchens said. “So I was hoping for over eight pounds.”

Hitchens got his wish and then some when he reeled in a 10-pound, 10-ounce female largemouth measuring 26 inches long and 18 3/4 inches in girth, as measured at Taylored Tackle Shop in Seaford and verified by DNREC Fisheries biologists Nathan Rust and Jordan Zimmerman. During the certification process, the tackle shop kept the fish in an aerated tank, and after it was measured and verified, Hitchens released it, alive, back into the pond where he caught it. "I put her right back where she came from," said Hitchens, a longtime Delaware angler. "I release all my big fish."

Congratulations to Mr. Hitchens on the catch, and kudos for releasing her back into the water. How many more state records do you think will fall this spring?