If confirmed, fish would break a 31-year-old record
PRATT -- A potential new Kansas state record largemouth bass was caught May 3 in a private strip pit in Cherokee County. Fourteen-year-old Tyson Hallam, of Scammon, took the trophy fish during the West Mineral Eagles Fishing Tournament using a jig and pig. The monster largemouth weighed 11-pounds, 12.8-ounces, edging the 31-year-old state record of 11 pounds, 12 ounces, caught in 1977 by Kenneth Bingham of Topeka.

The fish was weighed on a certified scale and witnessed by Mined Land Wildlife Area manager David Jenkins, along with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist Rob Friggeri, who confirmed the species and measured the fish at 28 inches long and 19 1/8 inches in girth.

A potential state record fish must remain intact until officially certified as a state record. Anyone who believes they have caught a state record fish must bring the fish to a grocery store or other business with certified scales as soon as possible. The weighing must be witnessed. The fish must be species-confirmed by a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist or a Wildlife and Fisheries Division regional supervisor. (A tissue sample may be required.) A color photograph of the fish must accompany the application. Frozen fish and species that are threatened or endangered will not be accepted.

All applications for state records require a 30-day waiting period before certification, so Hallman's catch will be eligible for certification June 2.
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