If there was ever any question about the size of fish in newly opened Rivers Edge Natural Area ponds, Tom Garland answered it by hauling in a whopping 19 1/2" largemouth bass.
The big fish is more than 108 percent of the minimum requirement to earn Tom a Colorado Master Angler's Award (MAA). (See here for details on the MAA program)
With his prize catch, Tom nudges Dave Boyle's smallmouth into second place in our first-ever year-long competition to be declared the Loveland Fishing Club Fisherman of the Year. The winner is determined by the relative size of the fish measured against Master Angler's Award criteria, so fish of all species listed under the program can be entered.
Both Tom and Dave have applied for a MAA award for the catches.
Tom measured his bass - and then gently put it back into the pond, which is catch and release only under City of Loveland regulations. The fish was within 2 inches of the state record largemouth, a 22 1/2", 11.6 pounder taken from Echo Canyon Reservoir in 2002.
You've still got almost half of the year to knock Tom off his pedestal. For more information on the competition or MAA, see Jim Roode.
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