Accolades continue for 15-year-old angler
Jaylynn Parker, catcher of the biggest fish taken by a sport angler in Ohio, made something of a splash recently in the Ohio General Assembly.
The 101.11-pound blue catfish caught April 7 by Parker in the Ohio River at New Richmond in Clermont County drew recognition, accolades and a testimonial from Sen. Terry Johnson (R-14).
“I am impressed by the outdoor spirit of so many of our young people across southern Ohio, and Jaylynn is an excellent example,” Johnson said in a statement praising a constituent still too young to vote. “What a great adventure this has been for this young lady and her family. All of Ohio applauds her!”
Maybe not all, because a few dissenters persist.
Most importantly, however, a panel from the official sanctioning body, Outdoor Writers of Ohio, in affirming the catfish as the record also recognizes it by default as the largest taken among the numerous species eligible as a state record.
No heavier fish has been landed since the records list was established decades ago. Lake sturgeon native to Lake Erie likely grow bigger than blue cats, but their protected status keeps them out of the record book.
The oldest standing Ohio record belongs to George A. Keller of Dayton, who on Sept. 3, 1932, caught a rock bass weighing 1.97 pounds fishing Deer Creek near London.
Vying with Jaylynn for the newest record is an 18.82-pound hybrid striped bass measuring 307⁄8 inches taken April 22 from the Muskingum River by Keith Snider of Marietta.
Snider received confirmation in midMay.
Carp barrier
A barrier agreed upon in principle several years ago to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes hit a snag this spring over money.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will oversee the estimated $1.4 billion project on the Des Plaines River about 50 miles downstream from Chicago, that his state’s share of the barrier cost might be a problem.
The federal government has committed to paying 90% of the cost, while Illinois and Michigan have said they will cover the remaining 10% between them.
“While the federal government has determined this project is of the highest priority, the taxpayers of Illinois and Michigan should not be the only states to carry the burden of the non-federal share of funding when the entire Great Lakes region will certainly experience the devastating impact of inaction,” Pritzker’s letter stated.
Should invasive Asian carps, most notably silver and bighead carps, slip into Lake Michigan at Chicago, their spread into the other Great Lakes is considered all but inevitable.
Silver carp have reproduced rapidly in favorable settings, and bigheads grow large. Either or both species pose potential threats as resource competitors with native Lake Erie species.
Ohio leaders for the most part have offered strong support for the barrier project. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine helped initiate a series of mitigation projects designed to eliminate possible access routes between Ohio-Mississippi river systems, where the carp have dominated in some stretches, and Lake Erie.
Illinois netted 750,000 pounds of carp from a loaded section of river in December.
Breaking clays
Led by Blake Eichorn’s individual first-place finish in Division 1A, the Olentangy Liberty High School trapshooting squad captured the team title during the two-day Ohio State High School Clay Target Tournament at Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware last weekend. Blake hit 99 out of 100 targets, besting 468 competitors from 21 teams. Liberty’s Kegan Ryan finished second in Division IA, and Big Walnut’s Gage Price finished third.