Wisconsin angler lands 30,000th smallmouth bass; ‘A great feeling’
Who maintains a running tally of the number of fish they catch?
Wisconsin angler Bill Schultz does and he recently achieved a major milestone by landing his 30,000th smallmouth bass.
“Hitting the water that Monday and knowing my first fish was going to be 30K had me a little anxious as I was hoping it would be at least 3-plus pounds,” Schultz told Outdoor News.
That was in early November, so Schultz probably has added to the total.
Smallmouth No. 30,000 hit an amber tube jig at 20 feet and Schultz recalled, “When it hit and I began reeling I could tell it was a good sized one, which gave me a great feeling!”
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He has fished almost exclusively for smallmouth bass since his first catch on Delevan Lake in 1994.
“I have not lost the excitement for these great fighters and love chasing them while wearing my waders in small Wisconsin Rivers, or from my boat on Sturgeon Bay, or from one of my fishing kayaks,” Schultz told Outdoor News.
Smallmouth bass, native to the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada, now occur in almost every U.S. state and in other countries. They are immensely popular among light-tackle, catch-and-release anglers.
The world record stands at 11 pounds, 5 ounces, for a 1955 catch at Tennessee’s Dale Hollow Lake.
–Image showing Bill Schultz with his 30,000th smallmouth bass is courtesy of Schultz, via Outdoor News