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Tom,
I'm still not certain what species the fish was because state regulatory officials have not answered my query.
Further, I caught it in Delaware. The DNREC has a citation process for catch and release. However, it requires a witness (I was fishing alone) and a few other steps that seem more trouble than they are worth.
If it was a redear or a greengill, I don't believe its size was exceptional -- except to me. It's the largest member of the Lepomis genus I have caught.
If you want to test your tenkara with larger sunfish, I will gladly show or tell you where routine bluegill catches are 8 to 9 inches with some a nose or two over 9-inches. They fight hard.
Regarding local awards, Maryland has a much easier citation process than Delaware. I received a Maryland Citation last fall for a 25.5-inch pickerel I caught on the fly in the Magothy. All I had to do was to submit a photo of the fish on my Hawg Trough with the location of the catch. The MD DNR quickly responded with a nice certificate in the mail that included a color photo of my fish.
Side story: The current International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record for a chain pickerel on the fly is just shy of 21-inches. It was caught in the Severn River in February 2022. The rules for an IGFA record are incredibly rigorous and include multiple certification steps and even the submission of the leader used. I imagine it's a time consuming process. So, good on the current record holder (I do not know him/her) for meeting IGFA requirements. However, John Rentch and I on this on this forum, and many others locally routinely catch 21-inch picks on flyrods in tidal creeks and freshwater ponds. I would not expect that 21-inch fish to hold the record for long.
I'm still not certain what species the fish was because state regulatory officials have not answered my query.
Further, I caught it in Delaware. The DNREC has a citation process for catch and release. However, it requires a witness (I was fishing alone) and a few other steps that seem more trouble than they are worth.
If it was a redear or a greengill, I don't believe its size was exceptional -- except to me. It's the largest member of the Lepomis genus I have caught.
If you want to test your tenkara with larger sunfish, I will gladly show or tell you where routine bluegill catches are 8 to 9 inches with some a nose or two over 9-inches. They fight hard.
Regarding local awards, Maryland has a much easier citation process than Delaware. I received a Maryland Citation last fall for a 25.5-inch pickerel I caught on the fly in the Magothy. All I had to do was to submit a photo of the fish on my Hawg Trough with the location of the catch. The MD DNR quickly responded with a nice certificate in the mail that included a color photo of my fish.
Side story: The current International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record for a chain pickerel on the fly is just shy of 21-inches. It was caught in the Severn River in February 2022. The rules for an IGFA record are incredibly rigorous and include multiple certification steps and even the submission of the leader used. I imagine it's a time consuming process. So, good on the current record holder (I do not know him/her) for meeting IGFA requirements. However, John Rentch and I on this on this forum, and many others locally routinely catch 21-inch picks on flyrods in tidal creeks and freshwater ponds. I would not expect that 21-inch fish to hold the record for long.
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