I have a few state record applications that have accumulated on my desk, and it’s time to tell you about them. Let’s start with a couple of European rudd caught from Box Butte Reservoir. Rudd are an exotic species closely related to our native golden shiners. Rudd were spread across the country a few years back, with many bait shops selling them.
We have a healthy population of rudd in Box Butte. Hunter Schaefer of Alliance was surface-spearing May 10 when he gigged a 2-pound rudd. That will be the first rudd to be recognized as our surface spearfishing record. The second rudd was taken on hook and line by Voradeth Sayaloune of Chadron on May 14. He caught his 3-pound, 3-ounce record on a jig. The previous hook-and-line record rudd also was taken from Box Butte in 2010 and weighed 2 pounds, 12 ounces. This new record pushes that bar almost a half-pound higher — a significant jump for a fish that maxes out at only a few pounds.
Taylor Foral of Omaha caught a longnose gar with live bait on hook and line that will be a new state record. He caught his fish May 11 from the Platte River in Sarpy County. The fish was 55½ inches long and weighed 23 pounds, 11 ounces. It shattered the old record, which had been on the books for 12 years, by 3 pounds.
Joey Lorenz of Friend arrowed a record shortnose gar — a 9-pound, 6-ouncer — from Harlan County Reservoir on June 3. His fish was 41 inches long and beat the old bowfishing shortnose gar record by almost 2 full pounds.
Next are a couple of underwater spearfishing records. The first was a smallmouth buffalo taken by Cory Johnson of Battle Creek. He took his 23-pound, 13-ounce buff from a private lake in Madison County on May 19. His fish bested the record for smallmouth buffalo, on the books since 1982, by more than 10 pounds. Read more….