The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) State Record Fish Committee has certified a new state record hybrid striped bass caught by Joshua Neece of Dante, Virginia. His fish weighed 13 pounds, 9 ounces, beating the former state record by a full 9 ounces. The fish measured almost 28 inches long with a girth of 21 inches. He landed the fish on June 19th at Flannagan Reservoir in Dickenson County.
Mr. Neece was fishing with his father when the huge bass struck the shiner he was using as bait. He knew immediately he had a trophy-sized fish, but had no idea his fish would be the new state record. A DGIF employee in the Richmond headquarters office realized the fish had the potential to be a new record, and advised him to contact the Marion Regional Office for assistance. Bill Kittrell, DGIF Regional Aquatic Resource Manager, officially identified and weighed the fish and submitted the paperwork for the state certification. The DGIF State Record Fish Committee approved the application and officially certified Mr. Neece’s catch as the new state record.
Hybrid striped bass, which are a cross between white bass and striped bass, have been stocked by the Department into Flannagan Reservoir since 1999. For more information about fishing opportunities or the Department’s state record fish program, visit www.dgif.virginia.gov.