In the spirit of Dr. Seuss – Kansas fishing

In the spirit of Dr. Seuss - Kansas fishing 2The Topeka Capital-Journalreported 1st: There’s little doubt everyone has heard of Dr. Seuss. And this week is especially poignant regarding the man responsible for teaching many kids some of life’s greatest lessons. He was born 112 years ago last Wednesday. He died in 1991 at the age of 87.

In the spirit of Dr. Seuss - Kansas fishing 1
OTHER INTERESTING KANSAS FISHING FACTS ■ Kansas had more than 400,000 anglers who fished in Kansas last year (including residents, nonresidents, fishing on private or public waters). ■ Kansas has 9,000 miles of streams and rivers, more than 150,000 ponds, 250 lakes and 26 reservoirs. ■ An annual resident Kansas fishing license for those aged 16 to 64 is $27.50. A five-year fishing license is $102.50. An annual senior fishing license for those 65-74 years of age is $15. A nonresident annual fishing license is $52.50. ■ Kansas regulations allow a licensed angler to fish with two rods. However, a Three-Pole Permit can be purchased for $8.50, allowing an angler to use an additional rod. ■ Three of Kansas’ state-record fish are also world records. The world record paddlefish was caught from an Atchison County pond in 2004 by Clinton Boldridge and it weighed 144 pounds. The world record flathead catfish was caught from Elk City Reservoir in 1998 by Ken Paulie and it weighed 123 pounds. The world record green sunfish was caught in a pond in 1982 by Fae Vaupel and weighed 2.36 pounds. ■ The oldest Kansas fish record is for black crappie. Hazel Fey caught a 4.63-pound black crappie from Woodson State Fishing Lake on Oct. 21, 1957. ■ The newest fishing record is for rainbow trout. Josh McCullough caught a 15.72-pound rainbow trout from Kill Creek Park Lake on Feb. 23, 2014. Runner-up was a shortnose gar weighing 7.30 pounds, taken with a bow and arrow by Luke Visser from Milford Reservoir on May 31, 2013.

A man of many talents, Dr. Seuss was a writer/illustrator who wrote numerous children’s books that were a staple for many youngsters growing up. He even wrote about the outdoors a little bit, too, and had a great fishing book called “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.”

So, to honor Dr. Seuss and his legacy, here’s my own personal tribute to his famous “fish” book, originally published in 1960.

ONE FISH!

When it comes to popularity among Kansas anglers, the largemouth bass is king, according to Doug Nygren, director of the Fisheries Division of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

“I think there’s been a lot of good marketing by folks in the bait and tackle business, television and media outlets promoting bass fishing,” Nygren said as to the reason for their top billing. “You don’t just sit there and wait, you’re active and it’s an exciting way to fish, so I think that’s a lot of the attraction.”

Best bets for catching largemouth bass this year, according to the 2016 Kansas Fishing Forecast, include Sebelius (Norton), LaCygne and Big Hill reservoirs. The state record largemouth bass was caught in a private pit in Cherokee County in 2008 by Tyson Hallam. It weighed 11.80 pounds.

TWO FISH!

While some anglers pursuing the No. 1 rated sport fish in Kansas wouldn’t dare dream of eating their catch, anglers looking for Kansas’ runner-up sport fish don’t have any problem doing just that.

“Crappie are number two on the list,” Nygren said of preferred fish species.

Crappie are prolific spawners and many reservoirs, as well as smaller community and state fishing lakes, produce plenty of crappie for anglers to take home and eat. Many anglers rank their palatability behind only walleye as far as flavor and texture.

Kansas has two species of crappie, the black and white crappie, with the latter being the most common in larger bodies of water. Best bets for catching white crappie this year, according to the 2016 Kansas Fishing Forecast, include John Redmond, Toronto and Elk City reservoirs. The state record white crappie was caught in a Greenwood County pond in 1964 by Frank Miller and weighed 4.02 pounds. Read more of this article by Marc Murrell here –

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