Angler Sets New Oklahoma Largemouth Bass Record

It looks like Oklahoma has a new state record largemouth bass, and unlike Arkansas' recent non-record, it appears that this fish was caught legally, by a person with a current fishing license, one he bought before catching the fish...

From this story on Examiner.com:

A new Oklahoma state record largemouth bass was caught Friday, March 23, at Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma. The fish weighed 14 lbs. 12.3 oz. and was caught by Poteau angler Benny Williams, Jr. while on a camping trip at the 78-acre LeFlore Co. lake.

Williams caught the bass at 11 a.m. on a ¼ oz. Striker King jig. This fish measured 26 inches in length and 22 3/8 inches in girth.

Williams' fish breaks a state record held since 1999 when William Cross caught a 14-lb. 11.52-oz. bass from Broken Bow Lake.

"Catching the state record largemouth bass in Oklahoma is a big deal and catching a fish this large is a big deal," said Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It speaks to the quality of fishing we have in Oklahoma and also to the anglers who get out there and fish for them. We congratulate him on his great catch."

The last two state record largemouth bass as well as several from the state's Top 20 Largemouth Bass List have been caught in the southern and southeast regions of the state. Fish are cold-blooded, so their metabolisms work faster in warmer conditions and they grow more rapidly. Lakes in the southeast region of the state tend to warm up earlier and cool off later in the year than in other regions, which affords these fish a longer growing season.

OK, Okie anglers, anyone ever fished Cedar Lake? I have, once, while down in southeast Oklahoma doing a story on Bigfoot. No, really, I was. Knowing Cedar Lake's reputation as a Bigfoot hotspot, I spent an entire day of my three-day trip roaming the lake's shoreline searching for Bigfoot. I never found him. Apparently he's not attracted to soft plastics and spinnerbaits. I didn't catch a state-record largemouth, either. Of the two, I think I'd take the bass.